Why We Deployed 30,000 Policemen for Ekiti Election – IGP

Ololade Adeyanju (Osogbo)/

The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, has justified the deployment of 30,000 policemen in Ekiti State for the recent governorship election.

The IGP gave the justification in Osogbo today at a one-day seminar with the theme, ‘Imperativeness of police collaboration with essential stakeholders: Towards secured, free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria’.

The seminar saw all the gladiators in the Osun governorship election, including the candidates of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Gboyega Oyetola and that of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ademola Adeleke, sitting together on the same table for the first time.

The occasion was also graced by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and the US envoy in Nigeria, Ambassador Stuart Symington and was chaired by the Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede.

Idris said the decision of the police was informed by the peculiar nature of the state.

He said people who did not realise that police acted on available intelligence, criticised them for sending that large number of policemen.

He said the force would have been flayed if they had deployed 10,000 personnel in Rivers State for a by-election in eight wards but noted that with the disruption of the election in Rivers State, he had been exonerated for sending 30,000 men to Ekiti State for the governorship poll.

The IGP also warned politicians in the country to desist from acts and utterances capable of precipitating violence ahead of the Osun State governorship poll as well as the 2019 general election.

He said certain utterances and actions of politicians usually spur supporters to cause mayhem, saying politicians should be circumspect in the speeches while also calling on the media to investigate well before publishing their stories.

He stated: “Let me use this opportunity to advise politicians and their supporters to desist from certain conducts which will precipitate violence and actions that may lead to both local and intimation all observers adjudging our elections as not credible.

“Such conduct include but not limited to arming if political things and making hate speeches before, during and after the elections which may likely precipitate violence.

“Canvassing/soliciting for votes, wearing of party insignias, dissuading voters from voting for candidates for their own choice, loitering, blaring of the siren on the day of the election.

“Disrespecting police officers and disobeying the restriction of movement orders on the day of elections as well as moving about by government officials with their security aides.”

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