PSC Decries Proliferation of Arms in Kogi, Bayelsa Guber Polls

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has decried the
proliferation of arms in the Kogi and Bayelsa gubernatorial
elections held on Saturday.

The commission, in assessing the performance of the police
during the election, said policemen were overwhelmed.

In its interim report issued after monitoring the performance of
police personnel assigned for the election, PSC said the police
were professional despite numerous challenges in the two
states.

“The strong monitoring team of the commission to the two states
observed the over proliferation of illegal weapons, inadequate
logistics and challenging terrains as militating factors”, it said,
while calling on the leadership of security agencies to mop up arms
in the two states.

The statement signed by the Spokesman of the Commision,
Ikechukwu Ani, said it received 31 distress calls to its advertised
dedicated telephone numbers.

“Most of the complaints were on snatching of ballot boxes and
indiscriminate shootings. There were also complaints on other
election malpractices such as vote buying and multiple thump
printing,” it said.

Ani said “the commission monitored the conduct of police
officers on election duties in Bayelsa and Kogi States on Saturday,
November 16, 2019 and observed that the Police were professional in
their conduct during the elections, while the activities of illegal
armed men over-stretched the capacity of these officers to protect
the voters and the electoral materials”.

It said that commission’s monitoring team also observed that the
Police were early at voting centres and had adequate presence in
most places.

The commission covered the three Senatorial districts in Kogi
State and two in Bayelsa states, Bayelsa Central and Bayelsa
East.

PSC leader of delegation and Commissioner in the commission,
Austine Braimoh, said the commission will continue to hold the
Police accountable for its actions or inactions.

On the Bayelsa and Kogi states Governorship election, PSC said
the conduct of the police was above average.

“The commission calls on the leadership of the security agencies
to immediately take steps to mop up these arms to safeguard the
nation’s democracy”, it said.