The Kogi State Police Command says 6,500 officers and men will be deployed to 239 wards in the state for the presidential and national assembly elections on Saturday, Feb. 16.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Busari, disclosed this on Thursday in Lokoja at a peace agreement signing ceremony by candidates and political parties.
He said that the number of personnel included the reinforcement the Inspector-General of Police sent to the state from Abuja.
Apart from this, Busari said men and officers from the Counter Terrorism Unit, Police Mobile Force and Special Protection Unit will man all the collation centres across the state, so as to safeguard election results, materials and electoral officers.
The commissioner said that the ongoing arrest of some elements consider to be threat to public peace before the elections was part of strategies to ensure a hitch-free election.
He, however, assured residents that nobody will be arrested without cogent reason, saying that the police were after peace.
Busari told candidates and political party leaders that there was no reason for them to engage in violence, saying that there were enough channels for them to express their grievances.
He warned them against taking laws into their hands, urging them to prevail on their supporters and members to embrace peace.
Representatives of All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Peoples Party (YPP), African Democratic Party (ADC), United Peoples Party (UPP) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) among others were present at the meeting.
The state Vice Chairman of the PDP, Mr Sam Abenemi, the state woman’s Leader of the APC, Alhaja Rabi Atta, and the state Treasurer of the ADC, Mr Ade Ismail, who spoke at the ceremony called for adequate security at the polling units and collation centres.
They also insisted that the police and other security agencies in the state should provide a level playing ground for all candidates, promising to assist the police with useful information that will lead to the peaceful conduct of the elections.
Dignitaries present include the Speaker of the state house of assembly, Mr Mathew Kolawole, state Deputy Legal Adviser of the PDP, Mr Ndamadu Ali and the state Chairman of the Inter-party Advisory Council. Mr Ibrahim Itodo.
(NAN)
