Ahead of the governorship election slated for December 5 in Bayelsa state, the inspector general of police, Solomon Arase, has disclosed in Yenagoa today, Tuesday, December 1, that 14, 000 Nigerian police officers will be deployed to provide security before, during and after the poll.
Speaking at the state police command in Arase stressed that the police were ready to provide adequate security, before, during and after the poll, The Punch reports.
In his address to the police officers at the police command, Arase said: “We are very ready for the Bayelsa election. We did a similar thing two weeks ago in Kogi state and we have decided to replicate it here in Bayelsa.
“We are going to be deploying approximately 14,000 officers and men in all the eight local government areas. We are going to dominate the security space; we are going to have aerial surveillance.
“We are going to lock down the waterways. A DIG is supposed to come and supervise the election here with three additional commissioners and about 15 units of police mobile force. So, we are very ready.”
On the issue of party members using fake police uniform, the police boss said the use of fake policemen will not be possible, adding that the force has unique identity for each policeman to be deployed for the election.
Arase said that anybody who has invested in trying to get uniforms or trying to get in fake policemen should know that it was already a bad investment.
Dismissing the claim that the policemen would be used to rig the poll, the police boss said that officers of the police force are agents to enforce the law, adding that they were not the ones saddled with the responsibility of conducting elections.
He said: “The police job is very simple – to ensure that we put in place robust security architecture that will enable people to move and vote fairly and freely in the election.
“So, I do not know about anybody influencing anybody, certainly not under my watch.
I came with the INEC chairman. We want to have an interactive session with stakeholders in the state to reassure them that we are prepared to conduct a free and fair election.
“I am also here to talk to my officers and men on what I expect them to do as law enforcement agents during the election.”
Meanwhile, it was reported that the state police command has confirmed the arrest of five members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who allegedly trailed the convoy of the former president, Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking at the state police command in Arase stressed that the police were ready to provide adequate security, before, during and after the poll, The Punch reports.
In his address to the police officers at the police command, Arase said: “We are very ready for the Bayelsa election. We did a similar thing two weeks ago in Kogi state and we have decided to replicate it here in Bayelsa.
“We are going to be deploying approximately 14,000 officers and men in all the eight local government areas. We are going to dominate the security space; we are going to have aerial surveillance.
“We are going to lock down the waterways. A DIG is supposed to come and supervise the election here with three additional commissioners and about 15 units of police mobile force. So, we are very ready.”
On the issue of party members using fake police uniform, the police boss said the use of fake policemen will not be possible, adding that the force has unique identity for each policeman to be deployed for the election.
Arase said that anybody who has invested in trying to get uniforms or trying to get in fake policemen should know that it was already a bad investment.
Dismissing the claim that the policemen would be used to rig the poll, the police boss said that officers of the police force are agents to enforce the law, adding that they were not the ones saddled with the responsibility of conducting elections.
He said: “The police job is very simple – to ensure that we put in place robust security architecture that will enable people to move and vote fairly and freely in the election.
“So, I do not know about anybody influencing anybody, certainly not under my watch.
I came with the INEC chairman. We want to have an interactive session with stakeholders in the state to reassure them that we are prepared to conduct a free and fair election.
“I am also here to talk to my officers and men on what I expect them to do as law enforcement agents during the election.”
Meanwhile, it was reported that the state police command has confirmed the arrest of five members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who allegedly trailed the convoy of the former president, Goodluck Jonathan.
