All Deputy Commissioners of Police in charge of Operations across the Zonal and State Police Commands, as well as other security agencies, have been instructed by the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to be prepared to police the election against those who intend to sabotage the electoral process and to foster an environment that will encourage Nigerians to exercise their right to vote and actively participate in choosing the leaders of their choice.
The IGP made the call while opening a one-day seminar for Deputy Commissioners of Police, members of the military’s operations branch, representatives of civil society organizations, and representatives of other security agencies at the International Conference Centre in Abuja on Monday, February 20, 2023.
The Nigeria Police, in partnership with Central Soft Support Services, organized the one-day seminar with the theme “The Role of the Nigeria Police Force in Curbing Election Violence in Nigeria as It Affects the Upcoming 2023 General Election” to provide necessary skills for the management of electoral violence.
IGP Baba Alkali pointed out that by policing the electoral process, the best international practices to observe the election, which is the human rights aspect, are taken into consideration. As a result, personnel must respect everyone who will be out to vote and deter those who want to do otherwise.
“First, professionalism and operational competence must be improved; therefore, it is important to sharpen our knowledge, ability, and capacity to confront any challenges to contribute effectively to the objective of the exercise.”
“Secondly, the synergy between the Independent Electoral Commission and other strategic electoral process organizations, in particular, NYSC members, bankers, particularly CBN and international observers, the media, and the members of various organizations that have key interests in ensuring that Nigerians are doing what they are supposed to do and what not to do for a smooth electoral process.
He said that in the past, questions have been raised about the professionalism of the Nigeria Police, but he is sure that the success of the 2019 General Elections was fair and free, and the coming election will be better because the force has made efforts to improve and do more.
He reiterated that the training is the last of the series for the election and will end at the end of the training.
The Course Coordinator, AIG Wilson Inalegwu (rtd), while narrating the objectives of the course and introducing the experts, said the training is for intelligence officers, more or less the engine room, of police operations across the 36 states, including their city, as well as Zonal Police commands across the country, to come and brainstorm on the strategies they have in place to ensure free, peaceful, and credible elections.
He reiterated that the IGP wants Professionalism at his best by all the officers to understand the significance of the moment and that training has been conducted at various zonal commands, but all of them needed to come here to rub minds with each other to cross the T’s and all dug eyes of their officers in their various commands.
“And in doing this, you recognize that it cannot be done alone because the composition of the Inter-agency Causative Commission on Election Security includes other sister agencies, and so the idea is also shared with officers and personnel from other units.” The military, civil defence, the DSS, road safety, civil society organizations, and the press are all critical to the delivery of free, fair, and credible elections.
The keynote speaker, Professor Sunday Ochoche, a fellow of Army War College Nigeria, a pioneer former Director General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, and a former director of research took participants on the theme of the seminar alongside other Speakers, AIG Wilson Inalegwu (Retd.) and CP Lawrence Alobi (Retd).
The experts in their fields who attended the seminar were tasked with cooperating assiduously with the police, as the police force assured Nigerians that it would do so to fulfill its obligation to provide complete security coverage before, during, and after the general election in 2023.
