Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Police Boss Issues Movement Restriction on Nigerian Election Day
Tuesday, 24 March 2015 20:17
Written by Ronald Mutum
Nigerian Daily Trust

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Suleiman Abba has restated his advice to voters to vacate polling units after casting their votes to avoid breaking laws that calls for orderliness of the electoral environment.

The IGP noted that: “The police did not ban anyone from waiting after casting their votes” but “we advised voters that after casting your votes, just go on. The provision of section 129 is full of booby traps. We advised voters to cast their votes, after which it is better to go home.”

Abba also announced the restriction of movement on elections days to all members of the public except those on essential duty assuring that adequate personnel have been deployed to provide the needed security at the 150,000 polling units of the country.

He spoke while fielding questions from journalists after addressing Commanders of the Special Patrol Units (SPU), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) and Commanders  of Police Mobil Force (PMF) Squadrons from across the country, charging them to keep their men on alert.

He said: “We have about 150,000 polling units and there are enough deployments arranged for each of the polling units, and in collaboration with all stakeholders, they will do everything possible to prevent the commission or the eruption of violence.

“There are intervention teams arranged to intervene where the need arises. That is our stance and that is our arrangement, any other strategy we will keep it to ourselves,” the IGP said.

Addressing the Police Commandos, the police boss said: “As you have done in the activities leading to these days, you are expected to perform better on the elections days, your duties as Special Forces is to ensure the safety of election materials and personnel of the election commission.”

“The escort of the materials and officials of INEC, a day before the election to where the materials will be kept and when they will take them up on the day of election to the polling units and back,” he explained.

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