We are Ready for April Polls - Police
- By Simeon Ogoegbulem
- Published March 28th, 2011
- News
- Unrated
MR Hafiz Ringim, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), last week in Abuja declared that the officers and men of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) are ready to execute its constitutional duties in respect of the forthcoming April general elections. Ringim, who announced police readiness for the elections that begins later this week stated that there will be massive and joint deployment of personnel of relevant security agencies to ensure effective coverage of all the 120, 000 polling units nationwide.
This is even as that State Security Services (SSS) stated that it would ensure a level playing field for all political parties and candidates in order to ensure free and fair elections. SSS stated that as a security agency, they are responsible to all Nigerians, pointing out that all Nigerians are equal before the law and as such deserve equal protection.
Speaking at a two-day national workshop on election security management titled ‘Towards a Secured, Free, and Fair General Elections in 2011,” Ringim said “the Nigeria Police has concluded arrangements for adequate security coverage during the April elections”.
Represented by DIG Ivy Okoronkwo, he said “the military will play complementary role in this regard with particular emphasis on the protection of key public infrastructure during the period of the elections.
Rigim stated that the workshop is aimed at acquainting all security agencies including Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec), Civil Society groups and other stakeholders of their expected roles in the election exercise.
On his part, Mr. Ekpenyong Ita, director general of the SSS, listed challenges facing security agencies ahead of the elections saying, “political violence is a challenge to all of us, not only the police as desperate politicians are getting increasingly violent. “To some politicians, failure is unacceptable, unthinkable and unimaginable thus the recourse to religious and ethnic sentiments and inciting statements to prod hoodlums and thugs.”
Ita said the SSS, police and other security agencies were synergizing to tackle such threats of corruption, threats of terrorism, bickering among security agencies, poverty and unemployment which has created a large pool of idle hands that could be used to cause violence during elections and factionalization of political parties.
This is even as that State Security Services (SSS) stated that it would ensure a level playing field for all political parties and candidates in order to ensure free and fair elections. SSS stated that as a security agency, they are responsible to all Nigerians, pointing out that all Nigerians are equal before the law and as such deserve equal protection.
Speaking at a two-day national workshop on election security management titled ‘Towards a Secured, Free, and Fair General Elections in 2011,” Ringim said “the Nigeria Police has concluded arrangements for adequate security coverage during the April elections”.
Represented by DIG Ivy Okoronkwo, he said “the military will play complementary role in this regard with particular emphasis on the protection of key public infrastructure during the period of the elections.
Rigim stated that the workshop is aimed at acquainting all security agencies including Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec), Civil Society groups and other stakeholders of their expected roles in the election exercise.
On his part, Mr. Ekpenyong Ita, director general of the SSS, listed challenges facing security agencies ahead of the elections saying, “political violence is a challenge to all of us, not only the police as desperate politicians are getting increasingly violent. “To some politicians, failure is unacceptable, unthinkable and unimaginable thus the recourse to religious and ethnic sentiments and inciting statements to prod hoodlums and thugs.”
Ita said the SSS, police and other security agencies were synergizing to tackle such threats of corruption, threats of terrorism, bickering among security agencies, poverty and unemployment which has created a large pool of idle hands that could be used to cause violence during elections and factionalization of political parties.
