Police Bar Personnel from Carrying Firearms at Polling Centres

Acting Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Adamu,
Wednesday disclosed that no security personnel would be allowed to
carry firearms at polling centres during the elections.

This is as the Force said it had made plans to pay all officers
on election duty three days before the polls.

Adamu stated this when the European (EU) Election Observation
Mission to Nigeria delegation visited him in Abuja.

He said that while the elections would last, security personnel
would keep surveillance at the polling areas to ensure that
restriction of movement and other rules were obeyed as stipulated
by the electoral law.

The police boss assured that the force, in collaboration with
other security agencies, would provide security at the various
centres from the beginning to the collation stages of the
elections.

“Your presence here in Nigeria to see the process will give
credence to the fact that proper arrangement or otherwise has been
made,” he said.

Adamu noted that without security, credible elections would not
take place, adding that adequate arrangements had been made to
protect INEC officials, election materials, installations and
voters.

“We have done a lot in terms of security and training of our
personnel in respect of the elections.

“Your mission to Nigeria is very important inasmuch as every
Nigerian will want credible elections,” he said.

Earlier, the Leader of the delegation, who is the Chief Monitor,
Domini Howell, said the visit was to ascertain the level of
preparedness of the police for the elections.

“We know security is important during the elections so we want
to meet you and know your activities for the day of the elections,”
she said.

Howell said the EU had had 11 persons in Nigeria for the past
one month to monitor the level of preparation for the general
elections.

She said the union currently had 40 persons in the field, adding
that on the day of election, no fewer than 120 would be in the
field and people from the EU embassies would join.

Meanwhile, the police yesterday said it had made plans to pay
all officers on election duty three days before the polls.

ACP Frank Mba, Force Public Relations Officer, made this known
at the 2019 Nigeria General Election Strategic Stakeholder
Engagement organised by Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF) in
partnership with Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre
CISLAC).

Mba, who was represented by CSP Al-Musyapha Sani, in the Force
Public Relations Department, said that the measure became
imperative to properly cater for their welfare and avoid instances
where the policemen “”look out for help”.

“If you do not give a child food, definitely he will go out to
look for food somewhere.

“That was why the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Adamu
Mohammed directed that all allowances relating to election
processes to every officer involved in the election must be paid
before three days to elections.

“So, by today they should all get their allowances paid not by
raw cash but sent to their accounts .’’

Mba said that there were a lot of changes taking place in the
force to ensure credible election adding that structurally, there
were new commissioners of police onboard.

He said though some people were insinuating that the transfer
and posting of police was politically motivated, adding that it was
not true because for the last three weeks there were vacancies and
promotions that took place in the force.

He said 18 commissioners of police were promoted to the post of
Assistant Inspector General of Police therefore; their commands had
been without commissioners so definitely there would be promotion
of deputy commissioners to the rank of commissioners.