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2023 Election: 203 Arrested For Electoral Offences In 185 Major Incidents – IGP

The Nigeria Police responded to about one hundred and eighty-five major incidents across the country during the presidential and national assembly elections.

The Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, made this known on Monday, March 6, 2023, at the meeting with Strategic Police Managers at the Peacekeeping Centre, Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The IGP said that a total of two hundred and three offenders linked to various electoral offences and other crimes have so far been arrested, while not less than eighteen firearms of various descriptions were recovered from political thugs during the exercise.

He further said that all the cases are at various stages of investigation at the Nigeria Police Electoral Offenses Desks while assuring that in due course they will be concluded and processed to the Legal Department of the Independent National Electoral Commission for prosecution.

The IGP’s meeting with Strategic Police Managers at the Peacekeeping Centre is aimed at interfacing with and debriefing strategic field officers who directly coordinated our election security operations across all 36 states of the Federation and the FCT during the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections; assessing the security situation at all levels in the immediate aftermath of the 25th of February, 2023 sets of elections; drawing on our rich and diverse professional experiences in perfecting its action plan for the upcoming governorship and state assembly elections on the 11th of March, 2023; and guaranteeing a stable internal security environment ahead of the electoral exercise across the country;

Alkali Baba was particularly elated that the police personnel situated their operations strictly within the context of the Reviewed Standard Operational Guidelines and Rules for Police Officers and Other Security Agents on Electoral Duties, which were issued to all officers in the countdown to the election operations.

“I am also excited that you all maintained a high level of civility and situated your operations within the dictates of the rule of law. Yet, you remained apolitical, firm, and supportive of the Independent National Electoral Commission and sacrificed to create an enabling environment for the law-abiding electorate to peacefully exercise their franchise while denying space for electoral adversaries to manifest their ill intentions and threaten the overall process.

“Even more soothing is the feedback received to the effect that you responded promptly and courageously to most of the breaches that were recorded and largely mitigated them with the highest level of self-restraint and best global policing standard in the circumstances,” Alkali Baba said.

He charged the police personnel to recommit themselves to national duty and sustain the high operational level that is attracting broad commendation for the force.

The IGP also directed all the Commissioners of Police across the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT to return to their commands and hold inclusive stakeholder meetings that must galvanize the citizens and strategic stakeholders in evolving a common front to advocate for peace and address the post-election security threats and apprehensions in their respective states.

The IGP also reassured all the citizens of this nation and the international community of the police personnel’s willingness to draw on the experience and lessons from the just concluded elections to strengthen its capacity and operational architecture for the governorship and state assembly elections.

He solicits the continued understanding and support of all, particularly all political actors across all party lines and the electorate, to ease the task of the police by committing to exercise their franchise within the dictates of the Electoral Act, overriding national security considerations and our democratic interests.

“I also admonish parents and guardians to prevail on their children and wards to resist the urge of being recruited as cannon fodder or destabilizing agents to disrupt our electoral process. The Nigeria Police under my watch will be unsparing of such elements and their sponsors. As is often said, ‘to be forewarned is to be forearmed’.

“I also wish to appeal to media practitioners to demonstrate patriotism and always place national security interests over and above other considerations at this stage in our nation’s evolution.” This places on them the obligation of resisting the urge to use their platforms to propagate fake news and threaten peace and security in the polity, the IGP said.

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