The Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, has deployed the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Operations, Mr Philemon Leha, to Anambra State for the November 16 governorship election.
This information is contained in a statement issued by CSP. Frank Mba, the Force Public Relations Officer, in Abuja on Wednesday.
The statement said the deployment of Leha was to ensure the effective coordination of all security operations for the election.
It said the measure was also a conscious effort toward protecting the integrity of the electoral process and forestalling acts that might threaten the security of voters, electoral officials and materials.
“It is also to ensure that the force maintained a firm grip on its security network covering the over 4,000 polling units and all the collation centres in the state.
“Consequently, all striking units of the force, including personnel of the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), the Bomb Disposal Unit and the Police Air-Wing, are to be deployed to strategic places,’’ it said.
The statement assured that aerial surveillance and patrols would be provided by the Police Air Wing with the support of the Air Force.
According to the statement, parts of Anambra that are linked to the waterways will be effectively patrolled by the Force Marine Department with support from the Nigerian Navy.
The statement charged personnel on election duty to ensure that they worked in line with the Police Code of Conduct and international best practice.
It also warned those attached to VIPs and politicians involved in the election to ensure that they did not conduct themselves in a manner capable of undermining the electoral process.
The statement warned that officers found breaching their oath of office would be brought to book.
It appealed to the people of state, especially the candidates, to peacefully conduct themselves within the confines and requirements of the law.
The statement advised them to lead by example by helping to maintain a civil and tranquil atmosphere devoid of harassment and tension.
It urged parents to monitor their children so that they would not be recruited for “illicit’’ purposes under any guise, saying the force would not hesitate to deal with miscreants or their sponsors.
The statement called on the people of Anambra to cooperate with the police and other security agencies deployed for the election.
