NOSA EGHAGHA
Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, has said that no fewer than 404,106 security personnel would be deployed from various agencies to ensure the peaceful conduct of the general elections in the 176,846 polling units of the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT.
Baba gave the hint during the weekly press briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He said that out of the 404,106 security personnel, Nigeria Police alone would deploy 310,973 personnel while aside from the military and the DSS, other security agencies will contribute a total of 93,495 personnel for the election security operations.
“From INEC records, there exist 176,846 polling units in 8,809 wards of the 36 states of the federation and FCT, where the elections will be conducted.
“The Nigeria Police, with the support of other security agencies, has perfected plans to deploy, in a coordinated and collaborative manner, to cover all these locations.
“The deployment will cover the National Collation Centre in Abuja, as well as other collation centres across states of the Federation, the FCT and the 774 local areas of the Federation.
“In view of the above, Nigeria police will deploy 310,973 personnel for the elections security operations. This will comprise of the conventional policemen, the mobile policemen, the special counterterrorism unit, the special forces, the 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 from 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 Defence Corps, which will deploy, through the Police, 151,000 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 police 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 is curtailed through the blocking of exit points and entry points to various states, local governments and so forth.”
He also disclosed that the Force would deploy 74 armoured personnel carriers, 37 water cannons, 200 gun trucks, 1,240 patrol vehicles, 52 patrol carriers, 50 ambulances, 60 busses and 300 motorcycles.
Others include 75 gun trucks in the riverine areas, nine unmanned aerial patrol vehicles (drones) for mission-specific areas surveillance and support, motorised crowd control equipment, helicopters, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, canine support and mounted troop assets.
The IGP, who listed some threats against the conduct of the elections including fuel scarcity and cash squeeze, assured that the situation with both would stabilise before the commencement of the exercise.
“We are very sure the situation of cash and petrol will stabilise before the conduct of the election,” he stated.
Speaking further, Usman Baba said an intelligence unit had been put in place to track and apprehend those who might engage in vote buying and others who might want to disrupt the exercise.
“As part of efforts to address the menace of votes selling and buying, a special intelligence unit of the force has been constituted to clandestinely monitor the trend and work with EFCC, ICPC and INEC in identifying the network that may be involved in this illegality and apprehend them where possible.
“In addition, the unique technical intelligence assets of the force are also being deployed towards identifying adverse elements that may be planning to disrupt the process.”
Furthermore, he assured that adequate plans have been made to identify, isolate and arrest individuals and groups engaged in post-election violence.
“Our operation plan extends beyond the announcement of results. And that is why we are expecting that there might be violence.
“If there is any reaction after the announcement of election results, then the situation will be frontally confronted based on how it presents itself.
“The use of minimum pose to bring down the situation will be employed. And for that purpose, we are ever ready,” the IGP asserted.
More so, he revealed that no individual will be allowed to move around with security personnel on election day as all those attached the VIPs would be withdrawn for election purposes.
