BY MIKE OSAROGIAGBON
Nigeria’s security apparatus, including the police, army, DSS and other security agencies have assured of adequate protection of lives and property before, during and after the Edo governorship election holding on this Saturday September 19, 2020.
To ensure a watertight security at every polling booth, at least three police officers and other security personnel have been deployed to man each of the 2,627 polling booths in the state.
The police officers and their counterparts from other sister agencies would wear identifiable tags for easy identification.
The Deputy Inspector General of police in charge of Research and Planning, force headquarters, Abuja DIG Adeleye Oyebade deployed to supervise the general security arrangement for Edo election, disclosed this during a press conference held at the police command headquarters in Benin City on Wednesday.
He explained that conventional, plainclothes policemen and Special Forces had been deployed to provide robust security after a detailed security threat analysis was carried out.
“All identified vulnerable points, entry and exit points have been mapped out for special security coverage.
“The military is expected to perform the required complimentary role of outer cordoning.
“We assure you that we will provide adequate security for INEC staff (permanent and ad-hoc) and electoral materials, both sensitive and non-sensitive.
“We will also provide equal protection for the electorate, party agents, candidates irrespective of their political party, the press, local and international observers and other stakeholders involved in the election”. DIG Adeleye assured.
The DIG further revealed that an Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the armed forces, Department of State Services, NSCDC, Immigration, Customs, FRSC, NDLEA and the Nigerian Correctional Service, is also involved in the election.
He stated that the committee had as part of its mandate to ensure transparent, peaceful, free, fair and credible elections that meet international best practices.
He stated that the police officers and their counterparts have been properly briefed on their expected roles of conduct which they must all adhere to during and after the election.
The security agencies however urged voters in the state to go out on election day to exercise their franchise without let or hindrance “as we are all stakeholders in the Nigeria project.”
The following emergency numbers 08154352118 (calls only) and 08154350436 (SMS/WhatsApp only) said to be for a Joint Control Room manned by all representatives of the security agencies were released to members of the public.
Among others at the press conference were representatives of the Nigeria army, DSS, NDLEA, Air force and FRSC.
