By Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The Ekiti State Police Command Friday said three police commissioners have been deployed by the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, to join the one superintending the state, Mr. Asuquo Amba, to monitor Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.
The command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, who divulged the information in Ado Ekiti, said the commissioners, whose names were not disclosed, would monitor each of the senatorial districts of the state.
Ikechukwu added that the command has also adopted new innovation to checkmate vote buying, revealing that plain-clothes operatives will be deployed to all the 2,195 polling units to arrest the perpetrators.
“The operatives will mingle with voters and from there have the knowledge of those engaging in this electoral offence,” he said.
Ikechukwu said the security details of very important personalities, including politicians in the state have been withdrawn, with the exception of that of Governor Kayode Fayemi and his deputy, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi.
The PRO stated that three security men will be deployed in each polling unit to secure the staff deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) and both sensitive and insensitive materials to be used for the conduct of the elections.
“The security arrangements have been made in such a way that there would be no room for security lapses. Three security men comprising police, NSCDC and immigration officers will man each of the polling units.
“As of now, three police commissioners are on ground to work with CP Asuquo Amba. Each of them will man the three senatorial districts to enforce compliance to restriction of vehicles, except those on essential services and to make sure that no one circumvents the laws of the land regarding these elections,” he said.
The police spokesman stated that the Special Tactical Unit of the Police Force will be deployed in each of the 16 local government areas of the state to attend to emergency situations that could endanger the conduct of the polls.
“These are armed unit of the police who will be on standby and they are to tackle cases of violence, attempted ballot snatching and ballot stuffing. They would also help in putting politicians who may want to demonstrate abuses in check,” he said.
Ikechukwu added that the Special Protection Unit of the command has been deployed to provide protection for international observers and other groups accredited by INEC to monitor the election.
He said policemen are already on ground in all the INEC offices across the state, including the headquarters in Ado Ekiti to prevent cases of arson.
According to him, “CP Amba and other top officers will also monitor these elections and our hotlines are on. We are on ground to entertain complaints from members of the public.
“We are on ground to ensure that we have credible elections. In having credible elections, violence and other infractions that could mar the process must be checkmated and that is what we are here to enforce not to interfere in electoral matters.”
