The Police Administration and other allied security agencies have devised a comprehensive strategic election-day security detail to provide protection for the entire electoral process.
This includes providing security for electoral officials, electoral materials and voters, as well as special strategy to police the movement of electoral materials before and after elections.
Mr John Kudalor, the Inspector General of Police, who disclosed this at the police/media encounter dubbed: “IGP’s Dialogue Series,” said the security apparatus had also woven another security web to contain the euphoria and consternation that followed the announcement of the results.
“The aftermath of the election is as crucial to the security agencies as the voting day,” he said.
In view of the security arrangement, personnel for election duties from all the security agencies would be trained in modern models of election security to bring them up to speed to deal with any infractions.
He said the modern models of election security also sought to ensure that the personnel approached their duties with the required levels of professionalism in the maintenance of law and order before, during and after the election.
The IGP also reminded the political parties to religiously comply with the Public Order Act 491 to enable the police to make security arrangement for them anytime they planned to hold any special event.
Mr Kudalor said the security agencies were leaving no stone unturned in the quest to secure the election; “we owe it a duty to our forbearers, ourselves and posterity to deliver another peaceful election.
“We cannot afford to go back on the progress we have made as a nation, therefore, let us work hard in our individual and collective capacities to chalk another electoral success”.
The IGP said to demonstrate the Police Administration’s determination to ensure a violent free election it had set up the National Election Security Taskforce charged with the responsibility of protecting the polls.
He said the police had conducted a national security audit which had identified all flash-points and vulnerable areas and had comprehensive operation strategies in place to take care of them.
Mr Kudalor said the police and the military had workable rules of engagement to ensure that the military came in when the situation overwhelmed the police.
Media practitioners asked series of questions which bordered on general policing, perceived political interference in security operations, how to reduce occasional clashes between police and media practitioners during operations, and crime in general.
Other issues raised by the media are the mandate of security detail for presidential and vice presidential candidates, the status of party vigilante groups, and how to control hate speech peddlers.
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