Buhari Sends 66,241 Policemen To Bayelsa, Kogi For Governorship Elections

The Nigeria Police Force says 66,241 policemen will provide security in Saturday’s Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections. 

Out of that number, 35,200 would be deployed in Kogi State while 31,041 would be drafted to Bayelsa State, said the police. 

Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations in Kogi and Bayelsa, Abdulmajid Ali, in Lokoja, on Thursday, said the policemen would be complemented by the police mobile force, special protection unit, and counter-terrorism unit and other security outfits.

According to Ali, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, also ordered the posting of deputy inspectors general of police (DIGs), AIGs, CPs, DCPs, and ACPs to all senatorial districts and local government areas within the two states, explaining that the heavy deployment of cops for the election was not to intimidate voters but to make the elections free and safe.

In a related development, President Muhammadu Buhari has warned security agents overseeing the Bayelsa and Kogi elections to shun voter intimidation. 

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu, the president said: “Law enforcement officials must ensure that citizens are allowed to vote without harassment and intimidation.”