Afimag.com –
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba said that the security forces will not fold it’s arms to see Simon Ekpa, a presumed member of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wretch electoral process in any part of the country.
Usman Alkali made this known during Ministerial Media Briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on February 16, 2023.
The IGP noted that the threat made by Ekpa against conducting elections in southeast was an attempt to destabilize the country.
Baba who said the threat from Eka must not be taken lightly, noted that security forces would be deployed in all nooks and crannies in the region to allow free and fair elections.
Simon Ekpa, it was allegedly said
is responsible for the continued lock-down of the economy through the so-called sit-at-home on Mondays and some other designated days.
According to IGP, about 404,106 police personnel and other security agencies will be deployed for the conduct of the February 25 and March 11 elections in the country to ensure the smooth conduct of the election.
Baba added that other security agencies apart from the military and the Department of State Services (DSS), will puff up the efforts of the police with a total of 93,133 personnel, bringing all to 404, 106 personnel.
“Nigeria police will deploy 310,973 personnel for the elections’ security operations. This will comprise of the conventional policemen, the mobile policemen, the special counter terrorism unit, the special forces, intelligence response team and other sections of the police.
“The manpower requirement for this exercise will be complemented by the military and other security agencies. In this regard, aside the military and the DSS, other security agencies will contribute a total of 93,495 personnel for the election security operations.
“These include the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense, which will deploy, through the Police, 51,000 personnel; the Federal Road Safety Corps, 21,000; Nigerian Correctional Service 11,336; the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, 9,447; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, 350, totalling 404,106 to the elections.
“With this layout, a minimum of at least two personnel, drawn from the above agencies, will be jointly deployed to man each of the polling units across the country while the armed personnel will secure the public space, INEC facilities, vulnerable locations, border areas, as well as undertake armed escort duties for INEC personnel, materials and local and international observers.
“We also expect the military to complement this situation by providing armed protection to critical national assets, ensure that the enforcement of movements are curtailed through the blocking of exit points and entry points to various states, local governments and so forth,” he said.
