Army, police, SSS in show of power
20,000 cops deployed in Oyo, 9,000 in Kwara
INTERSTATE security is water-tight across Nigeria as the nation holds its presidential and National Assembly elections, the first leg of the general elections, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:p.m. today.
Road blocks, check points, random search, border patrols and ground/aerial surveilance have been mounted across the country. In some places, the lockdown resulted in chaotic traffic gridlock in parts of the country.
While the military, police and the State Security Service (SSS) intensified patrols in state capitals, operatives of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) were deployed in the nation’s borders.The deployment of battle-ready soldiers at strategic points settles speculations and legal issues surrounding their involvement in the elections.
Lagos
Ahead of today’s election, soldiers and policemen have mounted road blocks along the Tollgate border section separating Lagos and Ogun states. The checkpoint which has caused a chaotic traffic gridlock along the Lagos-Abeokuta express road, was mounted in other South West states that share borders.
When Saturday Tribune passed through the toll gate section of the road on Friday, the traffic gridlock on both ends of the roads was serious.
According to findings, security operatives, which comprised the military and mobile police officials, were apparently deployed to borders shared by the states to monitor movements in and out of the states ahead of today’s elections.
The security operatives were seen wielding guns and stopping vehicles at random for checks.
According to a motorist, Mr. Abdul Olasehan, the checkpoint is only on the border separating Lagos and Ogun states.
“I am just coming from Abeokuta and there was no such checkpoint in that town. I was told by a colleague that it was only in border towns separating the perceived opposition,” he said.
Also, soldiers on Friday blocked part of Lagos and Ogun States.
The presence of the military men however created panic among some residents , who feared that the soldiers might invade polling booths during the today’s elections.
The police in Lagos State have also deployed personnel and Armoured Personnel Carriers as well as other logistics to the three senatorial districts in the state
Saturday Tribune observed the presence of soldiers around Joju Bus Stop , old Sango Toll gate and some parts of Lagos Badagry Expressway
The soldiers barricaded some parts of the road early in the morning and closely monitored vehicles and passengers in many of them
Kenneth Nwosu, the spokesperson of the Lagos State police command, confirmed the deployment of what he described as” logistics “ to the Saturday Tribune.
He added that the command would continue to deploy more logistics to ensure hitch-free elections and also ensure the safety of lives of residents of the state after the election.
The security lockdown is across the country.
“We have on ground soldiers drawn from all army formations in the country but you won’t expect me to release the exact figure to you,” a top security officer told Saturday Tribune on Friday.
Kwara
The Kwara State government has said a total of 9,000 security personnel have been deployed to all the 16 local government areas of the state.
Secretary to the State Government Alhaji Isiaka Gold, who said that people of the state should go out to exercise their franchise without fear of intimidation or harassment, said they should be peaceful in all their dealings.
The SSG, who reiterated the message of the state commissioner of police, Salihu Garba, said that there would be restriction of movements from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on the days of elections, except for those on essential duties.
Also speaking, the PRO of INEC in Kwara State, Jacob Ayanda, who said there is a total of 2, 512 polling units and 193 wards in the state, added that all sensitive and non-sensitive election materials had been moved to all the 16 local government areas of the state already, adding that the electoral body was set for the election.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State government has deployed a total number of 9,000 security personnel to maintain sanity in all the 16 local government areas of the state.
Gold told Saturday Tribune that the state arrived at this figure after a state security council meeting.
Oyo
THE police in Oyo State have deployed 20,000 personnel to ensure hitch-free presidential election today.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Muhammed Kastina, disclosed this in Ibadan in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Katsina said the personnel included members of the police special force, mobile unit, counter terrorism squad and officers from the Exclusive Ordinance Department.
“We have the K-9 sections trained to use dogs and horses. The animals will help in crowd control where and when necessary.
“The team also comprises medical units which will take care of health emergencies,” he said.
The commissioner said the personnel would remain in the state after the exercise until otherwise directed by the headquarters.
“They will be withdrawn when we are sure there will be no threat to peace after the exercise.”
Ogun
In Ogun State, all security agencies were ready, on Friday, for violence-free polls.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, told Saturday Tribune that the police had deployed adequate officers in all polling booths in the state.
Adejobi said men of the command had been on patrols to show their preparedness to ensure safety of life and property.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Valentine Ntomchukwu, had, on Tuesday, met with other security agencies in the state.
Meanwhile, the state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it had deployed 5,000 men in various polling units in the state to maintain peace and order in all polling booths and other strategic areas.
As of the time of this report, there was no presence of military personnel in Abeokuta, the state capital, just as residents were going about their businesses without fear.
Ekiti
The police in Ekiti State have exhibited readiness for the polls, with the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, announcing that security forces in the state had engaged in a joint operation to ensure a smooth exercise today.
The state’s police command has earlier launched a “show of force” across the state to warn those who may want to engage in violence during the election.
The operation had been launched in collaboration with the Department of State Security (DSS), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Prisons Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Immigration Service.
The team was personally led by Lakanu, who said “the joint security team considered all the areas in the state as flash-points,” and added that “it is to show our level of preparedness for the election and we are going round to let people who may want to cause unnecessary violence know that we are ready for them.”
The Commissioner of Police said: “We are treating all the areas as flash points because problems can emanate from anywhere. We have intervention unit in all the senatorial districts as dictated by the Inspector General of Police. We are using all our arms in our arsenal. We are using all the logistics to curtail activities of those planning evil. We are working with other sister agencies. We have men enough to cover the ground.”
Public Relations Officer of INEC in Ekiti State, Mr. Taiwo Gbadegesin, said in an interview that “all the sensitive and non-sensitive materials have been distributed and it was done in the presence of parties’ agents and security operatives.”
Gbadegesin said the commission had not experienced any hitch so far “and we don’t expect any hitch.
Rivers
The security situation has been tense in the Rivers State capital as there has been heavy and vehicular human movement in and around the metropolis since Wednesday evening.
There has been heavy movement of non-indigenes from Obio Akpor Local Government Area, following the reported fear of mass arrest of the people ahead the elections.
On Thursday evening, the newly appointed Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Kenneth Kobani, reportedly narrowly escaped being killed by thugs suspected to be working for an opposion in the state.
The state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Felix Obuah, made the allegation in a statement made available to Saturday Tribune.
He said Kobani was attacked by thugs in Gokana Local Government Area where he had gone to put a last-minute touch to arrangements put in place for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
Also, chairmen of the caretaker committees of the 23 local government areas, addressing newsmen at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Thursday, alleged that the police were working in concert with the Rivers PDP to create fear in APC members and deny them the opportunity of voting for the party of their choice.
Caretaker committee chairman of Eleme Local Government Area and chairman of ALGON in the state, Mr Oji Ngofa, who spoke on behalf of others, further alleged that the PDP-led Federal Government was working with the police to decimate APC members in the state.
There has been heavy a presence of security agencies, especially officers of the Directorate of State Security (DSS), who patrolled the main roads of Port Harcourt, on Thursday, with about 90 per cent wearing hoods.
When contacted, Rivers Police Public Relations Office (PPRO), DSP Ahmad Muhammad, allayed fears of violence as he said adequate measures had been put in place to ensure security of life and property during the election.
Kaduna, Kano, Katsina (Daura)
Daura, the hometown of General Muhammadu Buhari was calm when Saturday Tribune got there on Friday. There was no visible presence of security operatives.
There were security checkpoints between Kaduna and Kano states. However, from Kano metropolis to Daura in Katsina State, there was no checkpoint although traffic was heavy.
Ebonyi:
Police deploy 4,000 personnel
The Ebonyi State police command would be deploying over 4,000 police officers to provide security across the state during today’s presidential/National Assembly elections.
The state commissioner of police, Maigari Dikko, made the disclosure in Abakaliki the state capital on Friday while briefing newsmen on the level of preparedness of the command towards ensuring a hitch free polls.
According to him,” necessary arrangements have been put in place, in terms of logistics/equipment, and materials distributed to their designated areas.”he said.
Dikko said that security operatives drawn from the Nigerian army and other para-military forces had been evenly deployed to all nooks and crannies of the three senatorial zones in the state.
“The registration area councils(RACS), polling booths and collation centers will be manned by sufficient number of armed and unarmed security operatives where necessary.” he said.
FCT
The Police on Friday said that adequate security personnel would be deployed to the 1,886 polling units in the FCT during Saturday’s election.
The Commissioner of Police in the territory, Mr Wilson Inalegwu, said this when security forces involved in the election gathered for final rehearsal for deployment.
Inalegwu is the chairman of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in the FCT.
The committee comprises the police, military, Department of State Security Service (DSS) and all para-military organisations in the territory.
Source: Tribune
20,000 cops deployed in Oyo, 9,000 in Kwara
INTERSTATE security is water-tight across Nigeria as the nation holds its presidential and National Assembly elections, the first leg of the general elections, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:p.m. today.
Road blocks, check points, random search, border patrols and ground/aerial surveilance have been mounted across the country. In some places, the lockdown resulted in chaotic traffic gridlock in parts of the country.
While the military, police and the State Security Service (SSS) intensified patrols in state capitals, operatives of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) were deployed in the nation’s borders.The deployment of battle-ready soldiers at strategic points settles speculations and legal issues surrounding their involvement in the elections.
Lagos
Ahead of today’s election, soldiers and policemen have mounted road blocks along the Tollgate border section separating Lagos and Ogun states. The checkpoint which has caused a chaotic traffic gridlock along the Lagos-Abeokuta express road, was mounted in other South West states that share borders.
When Saturday Tribune passed through the toll gate section of the road on Friday, the traffic gridlock on both ends of the roads was serious.
According to findings, security operatives, which comprised the military and mobile police officials, were apparently deployed to borders shared by the states to monitor movements in and out of the states ahead of today’s elections.
The security operatives were seen wielding guns and stopping vehicles at random for checks.
According to a motorist, Mr. Abdul Olasehan, the checkpoint is only on the border separating Lagos and Ogun states.
“I am just coming from Abeokuta and there was no such checkpoint in that town. I was told by a colleague that it was only in border towns separating the perceived opposition,” he said.
Also, soldiers on Friday blocked part of Lagos and Ogun States.
The presence of the military men however created panic among some residents , who feared that the soldiers might invade polling booths during the today’s elections.
The police in Lagos State have also deployed personnel and Armoured Personnel Carriers as well as other logistics to the three senatorial districts in the state
Saturday Tribune observed the presence of soldiers around Joju Bus Stop , old Sango Toll gate and some parts of Lagos Badagry Expressway
The soldiers barricaded some parts of the road early in the morning and closely monitored vehicles and passengers in many of them
Kenneth Nwosu, the spokesperson of the Lagos State police command, confirmed the deployment of what he described as” logistics “ to the Saturday Tribune.
He added that the command would continue to deploy more logistics to ensure hitch-free elections and also ensure the safety of lives of residents of the state after the election.
The security lockdown is across the country.
“We have on ground soldiers drawn from all army formations in the country but you won’t expect me to release the exact figure to you,” a top security officer told Saturday Tribune on Friday.
Kwara
The Kwara State government has said a total of 9,000 security personnel have been deployed to all the 16 local government areas of the state.
Secretary to the State Government Alhaji Isiaka Gold, who said that people of the state should go out to exercise their franchise without fear of intimidation or harassment, said they should be peaceful in all their dealings.
The SSG, who reiterated the message of the state commissioner of police, Salihu Garba, said that there would be restriction of movements from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on the days of elections, except for those on essential duties.
Also speaking, the PRO of INEC in Kwara State, Jacob Ayanda, who said there is a total of 2, 512 polling units and 193 wards in the state, added that all sensitive and non-sensitive election materials had been moved to all the 16 local government areas of the state already, adding that the electoral body was set for the election.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State government has deployed a total number of 9,000 security personnel to maintain sanity in all the 16 local government areas of the state.
Gold told Saturday Tribune that the state arrived at this figure after a state security council meeting.
Oyo
THE police in Oyo State have deployed 20,000 personnel to ensure hitch-free presidential election today.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Muhammed Kastina, disclosed this in Ibadan in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Katsina said the personnel included members of the police special force, mobile unit, counter terrorism squad and officers from the Exclusive Ordinance Department.
“We have the K-9 sections trained to use dogs and horses. The animals will help in crowd control where and when necessary.
“The team also comprises medical units which will take care of health emergencies,” he said.
The commissioner said the personnel would remain in the state after the exercise until otherwise directed by the headquarters.
“They will be withdrawn when we are sure there will be no threat to peace after the exercise.”
Ogun
In Ogun State, all security agencies were ready, on Friday, for violence-free polls.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, told Saturday Tribune that the police had deployed adequate officers in all polling booths in the state.
Adejobi said men of the command had been on patrols to show their preparedness to ensure safety of life and property.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Valentine Ntomchukwu, had, on Tuesday, met with other security agencies in the state.
Meanwhile, the state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it had deployed 5,000 men in various polling units in the state to maintain peace and order in all polling booths and other strategic areas.
As of the time of this report, there was no presence of military personnel in Abeokuta, the state capital, just as residents were going about their businesses without fear.
Ekiti
The police in Ekiti State have exhibited readiness for the polls, with the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, announcing that security forces in the state had engaged in a joint operation to ensure a smooth exercise today.
The state’s police command has earlier launched a “show of force” across the state to warn those who may want to engage in violence during the election.
The operation had been launched in collaboration with the Department of State Security (DSS), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Prisons Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Immigration Service.
The team was personally led by Lakanu, who said “the joint security team considered all the areas in the state as flash-points,” and added that “it is to show our level of preparedness for the election and we are going round to let people who may want to cause unnecessary violence know that we are ready for them.”
The Commissioner of Police said: “We are treating all the areas as flash points because problems can emanate from anywhere. We have intervention unit in all the senatorial districts as dictated by the Inspector General of Police. We are using all our arms in our arsenal. We are using all the logistics to curtail activities of those planning evil. We are working with other sister agencies. We have men enough to cover the ground.”
Public Relations Officer of INEC in Ekiti State, Mr. Taiwo Gbadegesin, said in an interview that “all the sensitive and non-sensitive materials have been distributed and it was done in the presence of parties’ agents and security operatives.”
Gbadegesin said the commission had not experienced any hitch so far “and we don’t expect any hitch.
Rivers
The security situation has been tense in the Rivers State capital as there has been heavy and vehicular human movement in and around the metropolis since Wednesday evening.
There has been heavy movement of non-indigenes from Obio Akpor Local Government Area, following the reported fear of mass arrest of the people ahead the elections.
On Thursday evening, the newly appointed Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Kenneth Kobani, reportedly narrowly escaped being killed by thugs suspected to be working for an opposion in the state.
The state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Felix Obuah, made the allegation in a statement made available to Saturday Tribune.
He said Kobani was attacked by thugs in Gokana Local Government Area where he had gone to put a last-minute touch to arrangements put in place for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
Also, chairmen of the caretaker committees of the 23 local government areas, addressing newsmen at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Thursday, alleged that the police were working in concert with the Rivers PDP to create fear in APC members and deny them the opportunity of voting for the party of their choice.
Caretaker committee chairman of Eleme Local Government Area and chairman of ALGON in the state, Mr Oji Ngofa, who spoke on behalf of others, further alleged that the PDP-led Federal Government was working with the police to decimate APC members in the state.
There has been heavy a presence of security agencies, especially officers of the Directorate of State Security (DSS), who patrolled the main roads of Port Harcourt, on Thursday, with about 90 per cent wearing hoods.
When contacted, Rivers Police Public Relations Office (PPRO), DSP Ahmad Muhammad, allayed fears of violence as he said adequate measures had been put in place to ensure security of life and property during the election.
Kaduna, Kano, Katsina (Daura)
Daura, the hometown of General Muhammadu Buhari was calm when Saturday Tribune got there on Friday. There was no visible presence of security operatives.
There were security checkpoints between Kaduna and Kano states. However, from Kano metropolis to Daura in Katsina State, there was no checkpoint although traffic was heavy.
Ebonyi:
Police deploy 4,000 personnel
The Ebonyi State police command would be deploying over 4,000 police officers to provide security across the state during today’s presidential/National Assembly elections.
The state commissioner of police, Maigari Dikko, made the disclosure in Abakaliki the state capital on Friday while briefing newsmen on the level of preparedness of the command towards ensuring a hitch free polls.
According to him,” necessary arrangements have been put in place, in terms of logistics/equipment, and materials distributed to their designated areas.”he said.
Dikko said that security operatives drawn from the Nigerian army and other para-military forces had been evenly deployed to all nooks and crannies of the three senatorial zones in the state.
“The registration area councils(RACS), polling booths and collation centers will be manned by sufficient number of armed and unarmed security operatives where necessary.” he said.
FCT
The Police on Friday said that adequate security personnel would be deployed to the 1,886 polling units in the FCT during Saturday’s election.
The Commissioner of Police in the territory, Mr Wilson Inalegwu, said this when security forces involved in the election gathered for final rehearsal for deployment.
Inalegwu is the chairman of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in the FCT.
The committee comprises the police, military, Department of State Security Service (DSS) and all para-military organisations in the territory.
Source: Tribune
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