Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase
The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has sent the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Wakama Sotonye, to take charge of security for the Kogi State governorship election holding on Saturday.
Arase also ordered the deployment of the Marine Police, Anti-Bomb, Counter-Terrorism Units, Police Mobile Force, Force Intelligence Unit and Mounted Troop to complement the conventional police manpower deployed for the election.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole, on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the IG had also directed the AIG in charge of the Police Air Wing to deploy a police helicopter for aerial patrol before, during and after the election.
He assured Nigerians, especially indigenes of Kogi State, of the readiness of the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant security agencies to provide effective security and ensure a smooth and orderly conduct of the election.
Arase, who addressed stakeholders and police officers in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, warned all troublemakers and anti-social elements to stay away from the state throughout the period of the election “as the police will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute any person, no matter how highly placed in society, who flouts the law or causes a breach of the peace.”
“To this end, the IG has directed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Department of Operations, DIG Sotonye Wakama, to relocate to Lokoja, the Headquarters of Kogi State, so as to ensure adequate police presence and coordination of all security operations for the election in all polling units and collation centres in the state,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission has said it will deploy 13,000 security personnel for the governorship election in Kogi State.
The electoral commission said that 12,000 policemen would be among the figure.
Spokesperson for the commission, Mr. Nick Dazang, stated this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said that out of this figure, Kogi State would provide 6,000 policemen while the rest are to be drawn from the adjourning states.
He said, “We are going to deploy 13,000 security men for the election. Out of this figure, we are deploying 12,000 policemen while the balance of 1,000 would be from the civil defence.
“6,000 policemen would be deplored from the state while we are going to bring in the rest from the adjourning states.
“The commission is fully prepared for the election and we have appealed to the voters and the stakeholders to remain peaceful and orderly as they vote for the candidate of their choice on Saturday.”
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