Nigerian Navy Provides 10 Gun Boats, Police Deploys 9,000 Personnel

A high-level meeting between the Navies of the United States and Nigeria to discuss cooperation in the waters off the coast of Africa. AFRICOM is carrying out its first full operation against Libya., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Navy provides 10 gun boats, Police deploys 9,000 personnel

On February 25, 2012 · In News 7:00 am..
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

To ensure a hitch free governorship election today in Cross River State, the Eastern Naval Command has deployed 10 gun boats in the riverine areas to provide security as well as carry the electoral materials to the polling units.

According to the Commanding Officer, NNS Victory, Calabar, Navy Commodore Kingdom Itoko, the Navy is on the background and on standby waiting for calls from the Nigeria Police so as to provide all the necessary security at the water ways.

Commodore Itoko said the Navy decided to deploy the gun boats to provide security so as to frustrate any attempt by any group or political parties to rig elections in the sea.

Already, about 9000 police personnel will be on the field to give adequate security at the various polling units in the state.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Samson Wudah, who disclosed this in Calabar, also warned individuals and supporters of political parties to stop putting posters of their candidates in their registration numbers.

Wudah said the State Police Command provides 7, 469 personnel while the 1,531 personnel come from the Mobile Units from other contingencies like Benue, Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom states.

“We are expecting some mobile police force from contingencies in the neighbouring states. So all of them put together will be 9,000 personnel,” he said.

He advised the supporters of political parties to refrain from covering their registration numbers with posters of their candidates, saying that doing that would amount to going contrary to the law.

Wudah advised the youths not to allow themselves to be used by selfish politicians as political thugs during the election, adding that any body caught would face the law.

He urged politicians in the state to play the game according to the rules by cautioning their followers to be law abiding during the election.

He also appealed to the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr Abubakar Muhammed to provide vehicles and helicopters during the elections to convey electoral materials to riverine areas in the state.