SECURITY has been beefed up nationwide to ensure smooth conduct of today’s governorship and House of Assembly polls.

In Delta, the state Police Command has assured residents of the state of what it called “water tight security.”

Spokesman of the command, Charles Muoka, gave the assurance in an interview with The Guardian. He said the state is fully prepared to ensure security in all nooks and crannies, including the riverside areas, saying: “We are on ground and there is no need for the people to panic.”

He said the command has enough personnel to cover the state, adding that it would work with other security agencies to ensure free and fair polls. Muoka spoke following tension in some quarters, especially in Warri and Abraka.

In a related development, fear gripped residents of Edo State yesterday following alleged plans by political thugs to bomb some collation centres in today’s House of Assembly election.

But to forestall such a move, the Edo State Police Commissioner, Ghamdi Orubebe, yesterday, deployed 8,000 combat-ready policemen and their anti-bomb squads to collation centres in areas where trouble may be anticipated. Only the House of Assembly election and the House of Representative elections in Akoko-Edo Local Council will be conducted in the state today.

Also, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state has raised an alarm alleging plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to rig the election in the state.

“The PDP has not only printed fake INEC registration cards bearing pictures and other biometric information of registered voters, it has gone ahead to distribute the said cards in some local government areas in the state, particularly in Edo Central senatorial district,” it said.

However, PDP’s Director of Publicity, Okhikharia Ihimekpen, described the allegation as untrue, saying: “We are aware how the ACN has been intimidating traditional rulers and INEC so as to rig the election”.

Orubebe, who briefed newsmen yesterday, confirmed the deployment of 8,000 mobile policemen and the police anti-bomb squads in strategic areas.

“Patrols will be intensified since our men at polling stations will not be carrying arms. We will ensure that they respond to any distress call. Our anti-bomb squad will be at the collating centres to forestall any anticipated occurrence of explosion,” he said.

In the same vein, security has been beefed up across the major towns of Benue State to prevent outbreak of violence as major political stakeholders accused each other of stockpiling arms.

Armed soldiers driving in hired commercial buses patrolled the major streets of Makurdi, Gboko, Otukpo and Katsina Ala, in a show of force trying to reassure residents that the security situation in the state would not degenerate.

Also, armed mobile policemen supported by armoured personnel carriers patrolled the streets of Makurdi and Gboko, with the policemen chanting morale-boosting songs.

At the Benue State Police Headquarters, thousands of policemen gathered for deployment to their respective beats across the state to help provide security for the election.

Benue State Police Commissioner, Sani Magaji said the police would work with other security agencies to ensure that the elections are conducted peacefully.

Meanwhile, voter turn-out may be low in Abia State following fears that kidnappers will be on the prowl and speculations that some politicians have perfected plans to rig the polls.

Many residents of Umuahia said they would participate if security is guaranteed. But the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Austin Okojie, speaking through his aide, told The Guardian yesterday that given the arrangements made so far, more voters would turn out than in the previous ones. “No complaint of any sort has come to us so far,” he said.

Okojie said all materials for the polls have been dispatched to the 17 local councils and their collection centres while the sensitive materials, including result sheets, were being dispatched yesterday in the presence of party agents and security personnel for transparency.

But following last week’s alleged kidnapping of a lawyer and religious leader in the state, speculation was rife yesterday that it was masterminded by a political party.

-Guardian

Posted by admin on Apr 26 2011. Filed under Elections 2011, Nigerian Police. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry