GOV POLL: POLICE TIGHTEN SECURITY IN OSUN, DEPLOY DIG, 30 CPS
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By:Tajudeen Aminat
The Nigeria Police Force has announced the deployment of 30 Commissioners of Police and more than 15,000 personnel for Saturday’s Osun State governorship election as security agencies intensify preparations for the poll.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing journalists in Osogbo on the police security arrangements for the election.
According to him, a Deputy Inspector-General of Police will coordinate security operations across the state, while each of the 30 Local Government Areas will have a Commissioner of Police, a Deputy Commissioner and senior Mobile Police commanders overseeing security.
He said the police had begun deploying personnel three weeks before the election, adding that helicopters and drones had been deployed to conduct aerial surveillance before, during and after the poll.
Iniedu also disclosed that two units of the Police Mobile Force, comprising about 60 personnel each, had been stationed at the Independent National Electoral Commission headquarters in Osogbo, while an additional PMF unit would operate in each local government area.
The police spokesperson said the state would effectively be placed under a security lockdown from midnight on Saturday, with vehicular movement restricted to essential services, security personnel and voters travelling to exercise their franchise.
He warned residents, particularly parents, to caution their children against electoral offences such as intimidation, stalking, vote-buying and ballot-box snatching, noting that a mobile court would prosecute suspects arrested for election-related offences.
The police also disclosed that about 34 illegal firearms had so far been recovered in Osun State as part of efforts to prevent violence during the election.
Meanwhile, concerns over alleged vote-buying have continued to trail the election, with some residents and traders in parts of Osogbo claiming they received cash from political canvassers in exchange for support.
Some traders reportedly received between ₦10,000 and ₦15,000, although the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress denied involvement in vote-buying.
In a related development, about 12 suspected hoodlums were reportedly arrested by Nigerian Navy personnel in Ifewara while travelling in a vehicle branded in APC colours. The party said it would comment after reviewing footage of the incident.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has meanwhile urged all political parties and candidates to uphold the peace accord signed ahead of the election and avoid actions capable of triggering violence.
INEC said it had completed the deployment of non-sensitive materials and would begin moving sensitive materials to local government offices ahead of Election Day.
The commission also expressed confidence in its preparedness for the election, saying the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System had been upgraded and backup devices increased to more than 1,300.
INEC disclosed that 1,906,390 Permanent Voter Cards, representing 81.50 per cent of the 2,339,233 registered voters in Osun, had been collected, while 426,842 PVCs remained uncollected.
The commission urged voters to disregard misinformation, remain peaceful and report any irregularities through the appropriate channels rather than resorting to confrontation.
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