bloomshorts Ahead of the by-elections in some parts of the country on Saturday, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has directed the deployment of senior officers to ensure a hitch-free exercise.
The senior officers deployed are of the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police and Commissioners of Police, and are expected to assist the Commissioners of police in the affected states.
Officers and men of the Police Mobile Force, Special Intervention Squad, Force Intelligence Department, and other tactical units have also been deployed.
The affected states are Jigawa, Edo, Ogun, Oyo, Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna, Kano, Taraba, Kogi, Niger, Enugu, and Zamfara.
The IGP also ordered the restriction of all forms of vehicular movement on roads, waterways, and other forms of transportation, from 12 am to 6 pm on election day within affected local government areas except those on essential services.
Egbetokun reiterated the ban on all security aides to VIPs and escorts from accompanying their principals and politicians to polling booths and collation centres during the election.
He also noted that state-established and owned security outfits or organisations, quasi-security units, and privately-owned guards and security outfits were also barred from participating in election security management.
The police chief urged all officers deployed for the special duty to ensure compliance with the NPF standard operational protocols for elections and further urged all citizens to be law-abiding during and after the elections.
He assured that all necessary security arrangements had been provided to ensure that the right to vote is not obstructed.
INEC said on Thursday that the by-elections would be held in 16 constituencies across 12 states of the federation, involving two senatorial districts in Anambra and Edo states, five federal constituencies in Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Ogun and Oyo states; and nine state constituencies in Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Taraba and Zamfara states.
