PREPARATIONS towards ensuring peaceful elections may have begun as the Nigeria Police are deploying about 200,000 officer for the exercise, Inspector General of Police Mr. Sunday Ehindero, has disclosed.
The Police chief stated yesterday in Abuja that the decision to deploy a large contingent for the polls was influenced by the rising number of political parties which, according to him, has added more security challenges on the police.
Ehindero added that he and heads of other security outfits had on Tuesday met with the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Maurice Iwu, to brainstorm on how to meet the mounting challenges of providing effective security during the elections.
He explained that he told the INEC chief that it would be difficult for the police to man all the polling booths given that all the 50 political parties would be represented by at least one agent.
His words: “To us, that is a crowd. And don’t forget that there will be other personnel at each polling booth. And if we deploy two men per polling booth, I am not sure they will be able to control such a crowd. But in our meeting with INEC and other security agencies on Tuesday, I have asked INEC to see if it will be possible to reduce the number of party agents.”
Not underestimating the role of training in ensuring trouble-free polls, Ehindero said he had requested INEC to organise training for policemen who would be responsible for the provision of security during the elections.
He named Kano, Oyo, Enugu and Abuja as hosts for the proposed training programme.
To assume effective control of security during the elections, Ehindero said the police would acquire six helicopters before the kick-off of the polls for distribution of election materials and to also monitor the security situation during and after the exercise.
He said: “You can see that we are ready for the elections. Even if the elections are to take place tomorrow, we will not be found wanting.”
However, in a related development, a police inspector had been arrested for allegedly escorting an INEC vehicle loaded with marijuana.
The inspector, in his confessional statement, said he was paid to do the job.
Ehindero also paraded three Polytechnic Joint Admission Matriculation Examinations Board (JAMB) candidates held for alleged cheating in the August 2006 examinations.
The students, who have been in detention since August 2006, are due in court soon over the matter.
The Police chief said the candidates, a lady and two boys, were arrested in Lagos while trying to smuggle prepared texts into the hall where examinations were being written.