25 America Dogs for election? You got to be kidding!

Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba

 I don't have issues with the proposed deployment of 360 security operatives for the forthcoming elections. In fact, I canvassed for it. I however feel 360 is a bit on the low side.

What I find extremely ridiculous, is the proposed drafting of 25 America sniffer dogs to be part of the security operatives on the election day. 

What the heck are the dogs supposed to do? Sniff out cocaine hidden in the voter cards?

The argument is that the dogs will sniff out and detect bombs, well, let's wait and see. 

Why do we keep leaving ring worms, to treat craw-craw? Guess how much such silly venture of using dogs will gulp. Sheer waste of our money! 

I strongly feel that our anti-bomb squads should have be better trained and equipped, than deployment of foreign dogs.  Money should be channeled to where it would have lasting results.

After the elections, the dogs go. But with human capacity training, after the election, the squads remains in Nigeria, putting that training to further use in the society.

Now quoting from Punch: "NO fewer than 360, 000 security operatives as well as 25 sniffer dogs from the United States would be deployed in the states for the 2015 general elections, heads of security agencies have said.

While Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, said about 300, 000 of his officers and men had been trained in partnership with the Independent National Electoral Commission and development partners, the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr. Ade Abolurin, said that 60, 000 of his men would partake in securing lives and properties during the elections.

According to Abolurin, the NSCDC has also completed plans to import 25 sniffer dogs from the US to detect explosive components during the elections.

Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, had setup an Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to provide security needs during elections.

The committee co-chaired by the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), drew members from all the security agencies, including the military.

But a representative of the Department of State Security, Mrs. Mary Otubu, who did not make public the number of officers the DSS will deploy at the event, assured voters and government officials of their safety.

Abba said, “Policing the society has always been a challenge, all the police officers will be deployed in the elections; over 300, 000 officers will be used. The Commonwealth has also offered to help us in that respect of training by 21st of this month. Some of the trainings are even train-the-trainers until it gets to the last person on their roles during the elections.”

According to him, the Federal Government has provided non-lethal weapons and about 2,000 patrol vehicles to ensure that the police perform their duties during elections.