FG Gives Additional Security Cover to INEC • SSS Rolls Out Emergency Phone Lines

THE Federal Government has mobilised additional security cover for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nationwide for the smooth conduct of today’s National Assembly election.

A reliable presidency source, who disclosed this to Saturday Tribune, on Friday, in Abuja, said that the action followed renewed violence and interception of weapons and fake military uniforms in some parts of the country.

According to the source, under the new security arrangement, more personnel from the police, State Security Service ( SSS), the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), among others, had been mobilised.

Each polling centre, the source said, would now be manned by at least three unarmed policemen with other security personnel, while there would be standby armed squads for rapid response to emergency situations and the military personnel would be used as a backup in all the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, for serious security challenges.

It was gathered that under the new arrangement, no Very Important Personality (VIP) movements would be tolerated on election days as no electorate except the president, his wife, the vice president and his wife would be allowed to be accompanied with their orderlies to voting centres, unlike last Saturday when some state governors moved around in their convoys with armed security personnel.

Corroborating the new security arrangement, INEC National Commissioner in charge of Publicity, Prince Adedeji Soyebi, said that there would be restriction of movements nationwide during the election despite the postponement of the exercise in some areas.

Soyebi explained that elections would take place in all the states of the federation and Abuja and that the postponement would only be in some isolated places and did not affect the two elections at the same time anywhere.

In the meantime, the various arms of security agencies and INEC, on Friday, rolled out telephone lines that could be used by the members of the public to reach them in case of emergency.

According to the spokesperson of the Department of SSS Headquarters, Abuja, Mrs. Maryln Ogar, an Assistant Director, Public Relations, the emergency lines of the service are: 08132222105-9, while those of the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) are 09-6303520, 09-6303521, 09-6303522, 09-6303523 and 09-6303525.

Ogar pleaded with members of the public to report any strange faces or objects within their vicinity to the security agencies or raise the alarm for prompt action.

Soyebi gave INEC hotlines as follows: 0707-0273-6781-89 and 0816-666-2222, 0812-000-6622 and 0809-666-2221 for SMS only, while the commission’s email address is info@reclaimnaija.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , where members of the public could easily alert the commission on happening in their environments.

-Tribunewp_posts