AHEAD of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, March 18, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has assured Nigerians of enhanced security and violence-free polls.
Spokesperson of the NPF, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, gave the assurance in an interview with The ICIR on Thursday, March 16.
Adejobi assured that the force had analysed all known threats and is ready to curb electoral violence.
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“We have done our deployment based on our threat analysis and improved in some areas of strategy, logistics and operations. We are fully prepared and good to go.
“We will be out to curb electoral violence, and arrest whoever violates electoral act and other criminal laws of our land,” Adejobi said.
This is coming on the heels of various incidents of electoral violence that characterised the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly election held on February 25.
In Kano, the House of Reps majority, Alhassan Doguwa, was arrested for murder and electoral violence.
He was accused of alleged involvement in the murder of three persons during the elections.
According to reports, Doguwa, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is suspected of having led an attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in his constituency, which resulted in the death of three people.
It was alleged that the INEC official declared Doguwa winner of the election at gunpoint.
Also, in Dekna, Kogi State, thugs attacked Polling Unit 25 and injured some INEC officials and a voter.
Some people also got injured when youths disrupted the election process in the Nyong Nyong area in Plateau State’s Kanam Local Government Area.
In Akwa Ibom, arguments between two people led to the scattering and burning of electoral materials at Lutheran Primary School, Atai Nto Obo, Etim Ekpo, LGA.
Armed men disrupted voting in Akinyele, Aguda Surulere areas of Lagos and took away the ballot boxes and papers.
Party supporters also clashed at Angwa- Jama in Lokoja, Kogi State.
A reporter with the ICIR
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