From Olanrewaju Lawal,Birnin Kebbi
Kebbi State Police command have disclosed that trouble areas in the state prone to violence have been identifies and necessary actions have been taken to deal with the electoral offenders and erring officers who violated Election’s Acts.
Commissioner of Police in the State,Mr. Ahmed Mogaji Kontagora stated this while speaking with newsmen ahead of the Saturday general elections in the state.
He said that: ” With reference to the 2023 General Elections, the Police, as the lead security agency in the election security processes, have the statutory obligation to ensure the maintenance of security, law and order, with the active support of other relevant security agencies.
“To achieve this, the Kebbi State Police Command under my watch has been organizing workshops, seminars and conferences bothering on Electoral laws/Human rights violation, civility to members of the public, crowd control as well as arrest of electoral offenders, with a view to refreshing the memory of its personnel and to acquaint them with the best international policing standard.
“In the same vain, the Command has always been warning its personnel to be neutral and apolitical; while discharging their duties during the forthcoming 2023 General Elections. Similarly, it’s important to note that, severe disciplinary measures await any erring Police Officer before, during and after the electioneering period.
“Consequently, threat analysis has also been conducted, whereby all the trouble areas in the State have been identified and the Police tactical teams and other security agencies will be deployed in those areas with a view to forestalling any unforeseen circumstances.
” It was accordingly emphasized that all security agencies, in the performance of this strategic responsibility, must be guided by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, the Penal Code, Rules of Engagement for Security Personnel on election duty which was issued in 2020 by the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) and the Revised Standard operational Guidelines/Rules for Police Officers and other Law Enforcement Agents on Election duties”, he said.
Kontagora who insisted that the Nigeria Police Force would maintain neutrality in the performance of it roles in accordance with the Electoral Act,said,the police will be professional during the election exercise.
“The Police will always be more careful during electoral security deployments, exhibit a high degree of professionalism and fairness in our dealings with all parties. In view of this, all security agencies are also expected to adopt a professional orientation that encompasses democratic values, respect for human rights and dignity, while being mindful of the duty imposed on us by the law to protect all electorates against illegal acts and dispense our duties without discrimination.
“In view of the forgoing, the Kebbi State Police Command in collaboration with other Security Agencies hereby advise against the use of our youths for any form of violence and thuggery that will truncate the electoral process in the State as this will not be tolerated and will be dealt with accordingly.
“Similarly, let me reiterate the IGP’s directive while emphasizing the fact that, all quasi-security outfits established by various state governments and Local communities operating under different nomenclatures, structures and orientations have no legal roles under the Electoral Act and in the electoral process. The IGP has therefore directed all Police managers at strategic, operational and tactical levels to ensure they are not utilized by political or community actors for any role during the electioneering campaigns and other electoral processes.
” As such, their participation would amount to an illegality, a threat to national security and inimical to the nation’s democratic interest.
At this point, I want to remind all political parties to resort to legal channels in order to address any grievances as prescribed by the law. Equally, political parties and their candidates should not cease to publicly declare their firm commitment to abiding by the verdict of the polls. In order to accomplish this, political parties must know that, they have a primary role in educating their supporters to promote peace, dialogue and consensus.
“In the light of the above, I commend civil society, religious and traditional leaders for their important roles in this national assignment. However, it is their neutrality that will allow them to act as a link between the politicians and its society, so that, pursuit of political objectives does not create social or religious implores to the point of pitting groups against one another.
Gentlemen from the media, in this period, your actions are important as well as delicate. Your responsibility for the success of the entire process cannot be underestimated. As you are keenly aware, whenever you publish information or make statement of facts, please be guided by your professionalism. You are the guardian of truth for the people and not allow yourself to be manipulated by any other interest.
” In this crucial role, be aware of the pernicious effects of promoting subversive declaration and counter declarations.
At this juncture, I want to call on the political leaders to show restraints when communicating through the media while respecting the right to information and the important work of journalists.
“On this note, I congratulate the electoral commission for its successful actions so far. I want to also encourage the commission to further intensify its efforts particularly in relation to the timely release of its corporate communications as well as their critical elements going forward”, he added.