The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has deployed 25,565 personnel and over 250 vehicles for the conduct of Saturday’s governorship election in Imo.
Mr Frank Mba, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of the governorship election in the state, disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the preparedness of the police.
Mba said the assets would help in no measure in strengthening police capacity to deliver on the core mandate during the election.
“Our core mandate is to provide a safe and conducive environment for the conduct of the poll.
“Our duty is to provide a level playing field for all the political actors, citizens, election observers, INEC officials and even journalists to be able to ply their trade unhindered,” he said.
The DIG, who commended IGP Kayode Egbetokun and citizens whose taxes were used to provide the vehicles, pledged to utilise them for security.
“We will be tough, hard and uncompromising to the lawbreakers.
“We will be unapologetic in our approach to enforcing the law.
“Our loyalty is to the Constitution and the Status regulating the conduct of the election and to the people whose mandate and votes need to count,” he stressed.
He said the vehicles including 80 big trucks, 20 buffalo trucks, 20 Hilux vehicles, 20 gun trucks and armored personnel carriers would be moved to Area Commands and the Police divisional offices.
He said the police would also deploy from the air and waterways in collaboration with the Navy to ensure security in the state.
Mba noted that the pre-election deployment strategies had begun to work with a drastic reduction of crime and a drop on the per-capital violence in the state.
“We want to assure citizens that they should be bold to come out to exercise their franchise.
“33 units of Police Mobile Force are on ground, excluding other units of tactical departments such as the Counter Terrorism Units, STS, IRT, Special Protection Unit and SWAT team.
“This shows we have sufficient punching arms to deal with the situations.
“Our job is to make life more meaningful for law-abiding citizens but we are determined to silence all criminal-minded guns.
“The big ball is to ensure that the gubernatorial election is conducted in an atmosphere devoid of violence, intimidation, wanton destruction, arson, unnecessary assault, snatching of ballot boxes, and other acts that are inimical,” he emphasised. – NAN.
