Kayode Egbetokun, Inspector-Normal of Police (IGP), has reaffirmed the dedication of the Nigeria Police Drive to safeguard the integrity of the November 8 Anambra governorship election, pledging a agency, impartial, and law-based enforcement of peace and order.
Talking on the signing of a peace accord in Awka on Monday, Egbetokun assured residents that the police and different safety companies have been totally ready to ship a peaceable, credible, and law-abiding election.
“It is a constitutional and operational convocation to consolidate our collective dedication to peace, regulation, and order.
“The Nigeria Police Drive stands ready to make sure that this democratic train unfolds underneath an environment of absolute safety, equity, and public confidence”, the IGP mentioned.
Egbetokun reaffirmed the Police Drive’s statutory mandate because the lead company for inside safety and election administration underneath Part 4 of the Police Act, 2020.
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He mentioned a complete, intelligence-led operational plan had been activated to cowl all 21 native authorities areas of Anambra State.
In keeping with him, the deployment plan, developed underneath the Inter-Company Consultative Committee on Election Safety (ICCES), will see satisfactory police presence in all 4,608 polling items throughout the state, supported by the Armed Forces, Nigeria Safety and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Highway Security Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and Nationwide Drug Legislation Enforcement Company (NDLEA).
“Each formation, patrol staff, and operational asset is built-in right into a central command framework for real-time communication, intelligence change, and fast intervention. We’re prioritizing prevention earlier than response, making certain no vacuum exists for mischief or dysfunction”, he defined.
Egbetokun emphasised that safety companies would stay impartial and apolitical all through the electoral course of, sustaining allegiance solely to the Structure and the Nigerian citizens.
“Our allegiance is to not any political celebration, candidate, or ideology, however solely to the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Drive shall stay impartial but assertive; civil but agency; skilled but unyielding within the discharge of its duties”, he declared.
The police chief warned that any try to undermine public peace, manipulate the election, or intimidate voters would appeal to “swift, lawful, and proportionate pressure.”
“Beneath no circumstance will criminality be permitted to masquerade as political expression. The peace of Anambra State is non-negotiable, and the integrity of this election won’t be compromised”, he mentioned
Egbetokun introduced a complete ban on the participation of vigilante and non-state safety outfits, together with the defunct Ebube Agu, in election-related actions, stressing that solely federal companies are approved to handle safety throughout elections.
He cited Sections 91(1) and 120(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which vest unique authority for sustaining public peace throughout elections within the Nigeria Police Drive.
“The accountability for election safety is an unique protect of the Federal Authorities and its acknowledged companies. Any group or particular person performing such features is performing unlawfully and shall face sanctions”, he mentioned.
The IGP additionally issued a stern warning to the proscribed Indigenous Folks of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing, the Japanese Safety Community (ESN), over alleged plots to disrupt the election by means of sit-at-home orders and voter intimidation.
“Such actions are clear acts of criminality and treasonable defiance of the Nigerian State. Any try by IPOB, ESN, or another non-state actor to intrude with the forthcoming election shall invite a direct, coordinated, and overwhelming regulation enforcement response”, he warned.
He added that intelligence operations have been already underway to establish and dismantle networks planning acts of violence, stressing that anybody caught bearing arms or performing unauthorized safety duties could be handled as an armed non-state actor and prosecuted.
The police, he mentioned, have activated a Zero-Tolerance Enforcement Protocol to make sure strict compliance with electoral legal guidelines.
Egbetokun directed officers to arrest and prosecute anybody caught partaking in offences comparable to vote-buying, ballot-snatching, or voter intimidation.
“Electoral offences will likely be handled as felony violations of nationwide safety, not mere political misconduct,” he acknowledged.
He additionally revealed that cybercrime items had been deployed to trace and counter pretend information, digital misinformation, and propaganda that might incite violence or discredit the electoral course of.
“Those that weaponize misinformation to incite violence will likely be traced, apprehended, and prosecuted underneath the Cybercrime Act,” he added.
The IGP outlined a number of election-day protocols, together with restrictions on VIP actions and a ban on armed escorts accompanying political candidates. Solely accredited officers, journalists, and observers could be permitted to maneuver freely between designated areas.
Campaigning, partisan shows, or acts able to upsetting violence close to polling items are additionally prohibited.
“Possession of any weapon or instrument of intimidation will appeal to fast arrest,” he warned.
Egbetokun appealed to political events, candidates, and neighborhood leaders to show restraint, patriotism, and management by discouraging violence and inflammatory rhetoric.
“Marketing campaign with honour; persuade fairly than provoke,. Energy attained by means of violence is illegitimate and unsustainable”, he urged.
He known as on conventional and spiritual leaders to make use of their ethical affect to dissuade youths from partaking in electoral violence and to advertise unity and peace inside their communities.
In his closing remarks, the police chief reassured residents that the Drive would defend each voter and uphold the sanctity of the poll.
“On November 8, train your proper to vote freely and fearlessly. We will defend your lives, your votes, and your voices.
“Our mission is evident, to defend the regulation, protect peace, and uphold the sovereign will of the individuals. Order will likely be absolute”, he mentioned.
