The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, has deployed one Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), and five commissioners of police to Ekiti State to ensure a violence-free governorship election holding tomorrow.
The IGP also warned police personnel attached to top government officials as security details not to accompany their principals and politicians to polling booths and collation centres during the election.
Abubakar said only security personnel specially assigned for election duties should be seen within and around the election designated places.
The police boss, who said the measure was to ensure a hitch-free election, devoid of electoral fraud, disclosed that AIG Bala Nasarawa, would supervise security arrangements and would be assisted by four commissioners of police.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said while Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, a police commissioner, would function as CP in charge of Ekiti State for the period of the election, three other CPs would be specifically saddled with the responsibility of supervising security arrangements in the three senatorial districts of the state.
They include CP Danladi Mshelbwala (Ekiti-North), CP Mohammed Ibrahim (Ekiti-Central), CP Augustine Eubakhabokum (Ekiti-South), while CP Hosea Karma (CP in charge of PMF) would be charged with the responsibility of supervising the operations of the Police Mobile Force and other special strike forces deployed to the state.
Mba said the IGP had also placed a ban on movements in and out of the state with effect from 6pm yesterday, June 19 till the election was over.
Noting that the restriction order was informed by the exigencies of overriding security considerations, the police said the force was not ignorant of the citizens’ right to freedom of movement as enshrined in the constitution, adding that “the order was informed by the need to forestall plans by criminal elements to undermine the electoral process as gathered through intelligence reports.”
He also appealed to travellers to avail themselves of the use of alternate routes to their various destinations where necessary within the stipulated days
