LAGOS — Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Musa, the Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, yesterday, warned those planning to foment trouble during Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State to have a rethink or they would be decisively dealt with.
While General Musa said during his visit to troops in Edo that there is no going back on making the election free, fair and credible, cautioning security personnel to be neutral and professional in their conduct, the Police, which have started covert operations in the state, deploying plainclothes personnel to dark spots, and NSCDC also spoke in like manner.
In an interview with Vanguard, Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, said DIG Frank Mba and DIG Daniel Pedro will lead about 35,000 Police personnel deployed to Edo for the poll.
He warned those not participating in the election to stay indoors because there will be no movement without the Permanent Voters Card, PVC, during the election.
This is coming on a day the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, airlifted election materials to Benin, with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, delivering sensitive election materials for the poll.
The materials, according to a tweet on INEC’s X handle, arrived at Benin Airport earlier yesterday.
“Sensitive materials for the Edo State governorship election, holding on Saturday, September 21, 2024, arrived at Benin Airport earlier today,” the commission tweeted, and restated its readiness for the polls, urging stakeholders to discharge their mandates creditably for the good of all.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has deployed 6,433 personnel and vowed to protect public assets during the exercise.
We want to have best election ever — General Musa
Addressing troops at the headquarters of the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, General Musa said: “We want to have the best election in Edo State, and we are ready. You have been briefed on what parts you are supposed to play, we are working as a team and we are all Nigerians here, nobody is more Nigerian than the other person.
“With other security forces, we are going to work together as a team: the police, the civil defence, DSS and all the others. We know the election has a lot of issues, there are a lot of expectations and we want this election to go without any rancour. We don’t want any disturbance, nobody should come and intimidate anybody.
“On election day, our duty is to ensure the election is free, fair and credible. INEC is the one conducting the election, the Nigerian police are the lead agency in security, so we must provide that security.
“We know the Armed Forces are the last hope of the nation, we cannot afford to fail ourselves or fail our nation. None of us will do anything that will put the Armed Forces in disrepute, I don’t want to hear that it is the Armed Forces that has caused one problem here and there. No.
“Our goal is to provide security. No other agency in the name of vigilante, hunters or other names should carry arms. Only the statutory security agencies are allowed to carry arms and operate on that Saturday.
Election is not war
“Your commanders will show and direct you on what to do, we are restricting movement, no convoy movement, everybody should just walk to voting centres and go back. Election should not be a war, we don’t want anybody injured, we don’t want anybody killed.
‘’Anybody who decides to carry any weapon, whether cutlass, dane gun or any other thing, we must get that person. I want this election to be the best ever and we can make that happen, we made that possible in the last three states and this one will not be different.
‘’We have a task on Saturday, everybody in the world is watching what will happen in Edo on Saturday and you must not allow anybody to compromise you.”
Plainclothes policemen flood Benin
To forestall any breakdown of law and order, plainclothes policemen from the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, Special Investigation Bureau, SIB, and others have flooded Benin City, the state capital, ahead of the election.
Although Benin City looked calm, the plain-clothes policemen were sighted in several places as they visited dark spots, bars and lounges around the town.
A member of the department from the State Command confided in Vanguard that they were moving around to ensure security for all and a free and credible election.
“They have been around for about two days now but because more came to join them yesterday (Tuesday) that is why their presence has become more visible,” he said.
How we’ll police poll —FPPRO
Speaking on the readiness of the police for the election, the FPPRO, Adejobi said: “We are preparing for Edo election come September 21, 2024. We have done our deployments. We have two Deputy Inspectors General of Police in charge of the election process.
‘’We have DIG Frank Mba as the most senior person, who is the election DIG. And we have DIG Daniel Shokari Pedro, who is the DIG in-charge of South-South, covering Edo State.
“We have almost 35,000 police personnel to be assisted by additional 8,000 security operatives from other security agencies. We have made arrangements to protect sensitive and non-sensitive materials.
‘’We have made arrangements to protect all accredited observers, domestic observers and international observers, INEC officials, including ad hoc staff, the media, all those that have been accredited to monitor the electoral.
Edo CP is not in charge
“We have officers in charge, commissioners of police, DCs, ACs and various other officers in charge of WETs, local governments, territorial districts and the state. Edo State command is not the CP election. We have another CP election that is going to be in charge of this electoral process.
‘’We have done our deployment in line with the provisions of the operation order that has highlighted rules, engagements, standard operating procedures and overview.
“So we are very ready for this election. As the IGP said, we are going to be professional, impartial and discharge our duties as stated in the Electoral Act 2022.
“We are mindful of certain areas we need to torch-light and to have every deployment based on our threat analysis. This has been done too. We want to remind the people of Edo State that we are going to have restrictions of movement as from 6 a.m. of 21st September, that is Saturday election day, to 6 p.m. in the evening. We want to appeal to them to understand us and cooperate with us, be on the same page with us.
“For those who may want to traverse through Edo State, generally, who are not particulars in this process, they should be mindful because all the routes within Edo State will be blocked during this period of restriction of movement.
‘’We want eligible voters, particularly those that have their PVCs to go out and exercise their franchise, cast their votes and police their votes. For those who don’t have PVC, you don’t need to go out at all, just stay glued to your television stations and monitor live coverage of this process.
‘’For you to go out without PVC, you may be harassed or arrested by the police because you don’t have a business being out there. Your PVC is your identity to move from your house to your polling unit but not to cover a very long distance.
‘’You may not be allowed to move and cover a very long distance during the restriction of movement time. So we have done all we should, all we think and we are hopeful. We are very optimistic that every individual, stakeholder will play his role according to the provisions of the law, so we can have a very smooth and seamless electoral process in Edo.
‘’We all want to have free, fair, and credible election in Edo. It’s our collective responsibility to do that.”
NAF airlifts poll materials to Benin
Disclosing the airlifting of poll materials to Benin, NAF Deputy Director Public Relations and Information, Group Capt. Kabiru Ali, said the move was part of a broader effort to ensure timely and secured delivery of sensitive materials necessary for smooth conduct of the election.
He said the NAF and INEC collaboration was aimed at facilitating logistics and ensuring a peaceful election process in Edo.
Recalling that the Chief of the Air Staff, CAS, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, recently, reiterated NAF’s commitment to provide transportation for the swift movement of electoral materials, he said the airlift of election materials “is in fulfillment of NAF’s constitutional responsibility of providing military aid to civil authority.’’
NSCDC deploys 6,433 personnel
Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Audi, has deployed 6,433 officers and men for the Edo State governorship election.
Dr Audi, who charged them to remain disciplined, apolitical, and act professionally while on election duty, said the NSCDC has a vital role to play in the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure.
He noted that the security of election materials, both sensitive and otherwise, was very vital for the operatives before, during and after the election.
National Public Relations Officer of the Corps, CSC Afolabi Babawale, in a statement, yesterday, said the NSCDC will deploy no fewer than 300 operatives each from Ondo, Delta, Kogi, Osun, Imo and Enugu Commands, stating that Edo State Command has about 3,626 officers on the ground for the election while Rivers and Bayelsa State Commands will draft in 400 and 350 personnel respectively.
Also, 607 Special Forces would be deployed from the National Headquarters, which comprises the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, Special Female Squad, Anti Vandal Squad, Chemical Biological Radiological and Explosive Unit, while Kennel ( K9) Unit has also been mobilized for the election.
The Commandant General also directed the Deputy Commandant General in charge of Operations; DCG Philip Ayuba, to ensure overall supervision, monitoring and effective coordination of the deployed personnel before, during and after the elections
Quoting the CG, the statement said; “Our deployment for the Edo Governorship Election will cover all nooks and crannies, including flash points. Since we do not have a general election, we have enough personnel to deploy across Wards, Polling units, Collation centres, INEC offices and other areas.
“All Personnel deployed are to work in synergy with other security agencies to ensure a peaceful conduct of the election; the special forces and Anti-vandal squad are to ensure the protection of government facilities and infrastructure with more attention paid to the identified flash-points and volatile areas. Notably, the undercover officers have been deployed a few days before the election to maintain round-the-clock surveillance and provide up-to-date intelligence reports and real-time security situations from all the 18 local governments in Edo State.