Police assure full protection in Sokoto supplementary poll

The Sokoto State Police Command would deploy four security personnel to each of the 135 polling units during the state supplementary election to ensure full protection of the exercise.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Garba Danjuma, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting with leaders of the political parties in Sokoto.

Sokoto State is one of the five states where INEC declared the March 9 elections inconclusive and scheduled for a re-run on March 23.

“We are fully ready for the exercise and I want to assure you that in each polling unit where the re-run election will take place we will assign a team of four to five security personnel for the election.

“So we expect the political actors in the state to maintain peaceful atmosphere by cautioning their supporters not to foment any trouble that could disrupt the polls.

“Moreover, we don’t expect any incidents of thuggery before, during and after the polls; so, I urge you to work thoroughly to ensure peaceful election,” the police chief said.

Danjuma also advised the electorate in the state to be orderly during the election and assured them of their safety before, during and after the exercise.

Also speaking, the Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Zone 10 Sokoto, Mr Muhammad Mustafa, urged politicians to play the game according to the rules and assured them of the police neutrality.

“We will not allow anybody to distract the peace of the people, no matter his position or political influence. No Nigerian is above the law of the land.

“As such any one that breaks the law no matter his position or political party will surely be arrested to face the law,” he said.

Some of the stakeholders in attendance were Mr Abubakar Musa, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner and Maj.-Gen. Hakeem Otiki, the General Officer Commanding 8 Div. of the Nigerian Army Sokoto. (NAN)