In furtherance of strategies to prevent electoral violence and ensure a smooth and orderly conduct of the Rivers State supplementary elections slated for Saturday, 19th March, 2016, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase, has directed the AIG in charge of Zone 6, Calabar, Mr. Adisa Baba Bolanta, to relocate to Port Harcourt on Monday 14th March, 2016, for pre-election preparations with a view to emplacing a conducive environment for a free, fair and credible election.
While disclosing that three Commissioners of Police have been deployed to supervise security arrangements within the three senatorial districts – Rivers East, Rivers West and Rivers South East – the IGP stated that 6,000 conventional policemen and 14 Units of Police Mobile Force (MOPOL) personnel would be deployed to complement the personnel of Rivers State Command during the election.
According to a release signed by the police spokesperson, ACP Olabisi Kolawole, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Department of Operations, DIG Sontoye Wakama, has also been directed to proceed to Rivers State immediately to hold meetings with stakeholders and police officers in the State Command on the need for peaceful conduct before, during and after the election.
The IGP warned all security details to desist from accompanying their principals and politicians to polling booths and collation centres during the election.
He assured that the law-abiding citizens among the electorate of a secure and enabling environment to exercise their franchise,
He emphasized that only security personnel specially assigned for election duties must be seen within and around the election designated places.
