IGP deploys 14,000 policemen for Bayelsa election

·      Deploys 700 additional mopol to Kogi

The Inspector General of Police, (IGP), Solomon Arase, yesterday revealed that he had deployed 14,000 policemen to Bayelsa State for the forthcoming governorship election.

This was even as he added that additional 700 mobile policemen have been drafted to Kogi State, where he said he was expecting trouble, following Abubakar Audu’s death over who would succeed him.

Speaking yesterday at Bayelsa, Arase stressed that the police were ever willing and ready to protect lives and property before, during and after the election. According to him, he and his men were ready for the governorship poll. He said that the election in Kogi State, two weeks ago, which void of violence, would be replicated in Bayelsa.

He added: “We’re shall deploy at least 14,000 officers and men in all the eight local government areas. We’re going to dominate the security space. We are going to have aerial surveillance. We are going to lock down the waterways. A DIG is supposed to come and supervise the election here with three additional commissioners of police and about 15 units of police mobile force.”

Reacting to questions that fake policemen might be used in the election by some unscrupulous politicians; Arase said there wouldn’t be room for that.

 “The use of fake policemen will not be possible. This is because we have a unique identity for each policeman we are going to deploy for the election. Anybody who is trying to get fake policemen should consider it as a bad investment. I will not work! The police job is very simple – to ensure that we put in place robust security architecture that will enable people to move and vote fairly and freely in the election. I do not know about anybody influencing anybody, certainly not under my watch. I came with the INEC chairman. We want to have an interactive session with stakeholders in the state to reassure them that we are prepared to conduct a free and fair election.

Explaining that he was in Bayelsa to tell the policemen what and how to do behave during the election, Arase warned his men against unprofessional conduct during the election.