February 16, (THEWILL) – About 404,106 security personnel will be deployed for the forthcoming elections to ensure the smooth conduct of the exercise, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali-Baba, disclosed on Thursday.
IGP Baba made the disclosure while appearing at the Ministerial Media briefing, organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said the deployment includes 310,973 police personnel comprising Mobile and Conventional policemen, the Special Counter-Terrorism unit, the Intelligence Response Team and other sessions of the police.
Also, a total of 93,495 personnel would be deployed through the police and drawn from other security agencies including 151,000 from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), 21,000 from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), 11,336 from the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), 9,447 from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (NDLEA) and 350 from the Economic and Financial and Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The IGP said the exercise would be complemented by the military, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Nigerian Navy and other security agencies that will contribute to the security of critical facilities, as well as vulnerable locations.
He said, “With this, two personnel drawn from the above agencies will be jointly deployed to man each of the polling units across the county while the armed personnel will secure the public spaces, INEC facilities, vulnerable locations, border areas as well as undertake armed escort duties for the INEC personnel, materials and local and international observers.
“We also expect the military to complement these locations by providing armed protection to critical national assets, ensure the enforcement of movement is curtailed through the blocking of our inland ways, exit and entry points to various states and local government areas.”
He added that Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) will be deployed to coordinate the operations of the six geo-political zones, while Commissioners of Police (CPs) are to supervise the elections at senatorial zones across the country.
The police boss revealed that in its plans for election security, its goals are designed to provide an armed escort of INEC officials, local materials from the airports to storage facilities and their distributions to registration centres and polling units across the states.
Others include the deployment of tactical units operatives from all sessions of the police at least a week before to the election.
The Police boss also said at least 74 Armoured Personnel Carriers, 37 Water Cannons, 1,240 patrol vehicles, 50 ambulances and 300 motorcycles will be deployed nationwide including surveillance helicopters and canine support, amongst others.
