No fewer than 27,000 people have reportedly been deployed in Lagos for the general elections, according to Mr. Johnson Kokumo, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Force Operations.
This information was provided by Kokumo on Thursday in Lagos during a briefing for reporters and personnel of the Lagos Police Command in advance of the presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday.
He stated that in addition to the police officers, other sister security organizations would be there to provide protection for the exercise.
The police had advised the staff to follow the Electoral Act’s requirements and to make sure that the election was free, fair, and credible in every section of the state.
“We are supposed to be apolitical. We should not unleash terror on members of the public. Also, don’t use arms on harmless members of the public.
“We are to be civil and respect the rights of citizens. We are to collaborate with other sister security agencies, but we are to take the lead, according to the Electoral Act,” he said.
Kokumo assured residents of the state of the safety of their lives before, during, and after the elections.
He also said that all the areas noted for crisis or where security threats might come from had been taken care of and would be well-policed.
The DIG further said that the Inspector-General of Police had ordered special deployment in the air, land, and water, in collaboration with sister security agencies operating in those areas.
He urged the command to set up a special electoral investigation team at the State CID, where all cases and arrests relating to elections would be treated immediately.
Kokumo also urged the command to ensure that the border posts were well policed, with a view to preventing any incursion by non-Nigerians during the elections.
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Idowu Owohunwa, assured the DIG that the police in Lagos would not disappoint the residents and the nation at large.
“I assure you that we will not fail in Lagos as a command, with God’s guidance and the commitment of the men I have. We will not fail the nation.
“We assure the people of Lagos that we will not fail in our election duties. We shall make the nation proud,” Owohunwa said.
All Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers as well as Unit and Squadron Commanders were in attendance at the briefing.
