The police command in Rivers says it has intensified security and restricted movement in four local government areas of the state where supplementary election will hold on Saturday.
DSP Nnamdi Omoni, the command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), disclosed this in a statement in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Omoni said that adequate security had been emplaced to ensure that the exercise was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere, devoid of acrimony.
He said 3,066 police officers had been deployed to realise success of the supplementary election.
“This will be complemented by the deployments from other sister Security Agencies, to provide safety, security and maintenance of Law and Order in the affected LGAs,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the affected LGAs where the exercise will take place are Abua/Odual, Ahoada-West, Gokana and Opobo/Nkoro state constituencies.
He noted that Mr Usman Belel, Rivers Commissioner of Police and Chairman, Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Elections Security (ICCES), after a meeting of the agencies announced the directive.
“That there will be total restriction of movement of Persons, vehicles or any mechanically propelled engine either on land or waterways between the hours of 12 midnight on Friday and 2pm on Saturday.
“That Very Important Personalities (VIPs) or politicans are barred from going to any voting centre with their security details.
“Movement is only allowed from their houses to the voting centre and back, as provided by the Electoral Act,” he said.
He said the Commissioner also ordered that all entry and exit points to the affected LGAs be completely blocked until the elections are over and no commercial activity would be allowed near the polling units.
The PPRO said the command and other security agencies would be moving round to ensure strict compliance to the order and possibly arrest and prosecute violators. (NAN)
