By:Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin 

DIG, Adeleye Oyebade in charge of Research and Planning leading other security agencies in a press briefing on Thursday at the Police Command headquarters in Benin.

Ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, the Police Authority has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering effective security towards having free, fair and credible elections.

The Police are in collaboration with sister security agencies in a Committee – Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), to keep the state safe for a free, fair and credible election.

In a press conference by the security coalition led by the DIG Adeleye Oyebade in Benin, Nigerians were reassured of a violence-free election in Edo.

“Our objective is to provide an enabling environment for a free and fair election that will remain a reference point in election security.

“Previous elections may have had their challenges, it is our resolve to improve on them, and make the 2020 Edo State Governorship Election freer, better, more inclusive, safer and more credible.

“The credibility of this election and indeed future elections remains our major focus.”

According to Oyebade, the “Committee is saddled with the onerous responsibility of providing security in the electoral process at all levels, and ensure very transparent, peaceful, free, fair and credible elections that meet international best practices.

Asserting that the Committee will ensure the confidence reposed in it is not betrayed, it is “determined to work assiduously with a common purpose and collectively without fear or favour to achieve its mandate.”

Oyebade disclosed that the Police in collaboration with the Committee, and other relevant stakeholders are determined to work on the resolve of the IGP, Mohammed Adamu to “protect the democratic process by providing enabling environment, and level playing field for all the players.

“Adequate Police officers comprising conventional, plain-clothed policemen and Special Forces have been deployed to provide robust security before, during and after the election.

“We have carried out security threat analysis hence, all identified vulnerable points, entry and exit points have been mapped out for special security coverage, while the military is expected to perform the required complementary role of outer cordoning.

“The Police officers have been properly briefed on their expected roles and conduct during the election, bearing in mind strict adherence to the principles and rules of the Code of Conduct for Officers and Men of the Nigeria Police Force.

“All other security personnel deployed for the election must also adhere to the code of conduct and rules of engagement on election duty.”

The DIG further said that “for effective Manning of the polling booths, no fewer than three Police officers and personnel of other security agencies will be deployed in each of the 2,627 polling booths.

“Officers deployed for this special assignment will be apolitical, neutral and professional in their constitutional responsibilities.

“The police officers and their counterparts from other sister agencies who are involved in the election will be posted to polling booths by name and would wear identifiable tags for easy identification.

“We assure you that we will provide adequate security for INEC staff (permanent and ad-hoc) and electoral materials, both sensitive and non-sensitive.

“We will also provide equal protection for the electorate, party agents, candidates irrespective of their political party, the press, local and international observers and other stakeholders involved in the election.”

“All the security operatives deployed for the election duty will strictly adhere to the NCDC COVID -19 protocols,” Oyebade said.

Disclosing that mop up of arms to curtail the proliferation of illegal arms throughout the country on the order of the IGP, the DIG warned against carrying of arms by persons, groups, or outfits by whatever name.

“We want to sound a note of warning to would-be miscreants and other political thugs who might be clandestine, diurnal or nocturnal meetings to foment trouble with the motive to disrupt the election, and scuttle the democratic process to desist from such act as the arm of the law will certainly catch up with them.”

The IGP announced guidelines for the election: no one is allowed to wear baby cloth, emblem or colour signifying any political party to the polling units. no person is allowed to move around with security personnel around the polling units.

Everyone is enjoined to vote and return to their respective houses or remain peacefully within the approved parameters of the polling centres, no one is allowed to move about from one polling unit to another and there shall be a restriction on movement on the day of the election.

Only INEC accredited election monitors, observers are allowed to move around for the purpose of the election monitoring and they must all wear their INEC accredited tags, only accredited journalists are allowed to cover the elections. All such ones must carry their accreditation tag.

Praise-singing, drumming and dancing around the vicinity of the polling units are not allowed, vehicles branded in any political party colour or emblems are not allowed to be deployed on any election assignment. Selling of alcohol, beverages around the polling booths and collation centres is totally banned.

For the efficient management of information and security, the DIG released the phone numbers of the Joint Control Room for public use during the election as 08154352118 (for calls only) and 08154350436 (SMS and WhatsApp).

The Committee which is said to be replicated at both the State and Local Government levels include the Nigeria Police Force, Army, DSS, NSCDC, NCS (former Nigerian Prisons Service), Nigeria Customs Service, FRSC, NDLEA and INEC.