Lagos – Over 27,000 police officers have been deployed to ensure peaceful election during the Saturday Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Speaking on Thursday at a meeting geared towards election preparedness with Police Officers of the Lagos State Police Command, the Deputy Inspector General, Force Operations, DIG Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, on behalf of Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, charged Police personnel on election duty to adhere to policing responsibility as regards the 2023 General Elections.
According to him, “We are to ensure that the election is peaceful, free of crisis and fair.
He highlighted that Police officers must be apolitical to achieve a peaceful election.
Urging senior police officers in attendance, the DIG said they should ensure that they abide by the Electoral Act, by ensuring that the election was free, fair and credible in all parts of the state.
“We are supposed to be apolitical. We should not unleash terror on the members of the public. Don’t use arm on harmless members of the public.
“We are to be civil, respect the rights of citizens. We are to collaborate with sister security agencies, but we are to take lead according to the Electoral Act,” he said.
He further said that the IGP has ordered for a special deployment in the air, land and water, with collaboration with sister security agencies operating in those areas.
The DIG urged the command to set up a special electoral investigation team at the State CID where all cases and arrest relating to the elections would be treated immediately.
He also urged the command to ensure that the border posts were well policed with a view to prevent non-Nigerians incursion during the elections.
The Lagos State Police Commissioner, CP Idowu Owohunwa assured the DIG that the police in Lagos will not disappoint the residents and the nation at large.
“I assured DIG that we will not fail in Lagos as a command with God’s guidance and commitments of the men I have. We will not fail the nation.
“We assured people in Lagos State that we will not fail in our elections’ duties.
“We shall make the nation proud,” Owohunwa assured.
