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From Ngozi Uwujare
Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of South West, Johnson Kokumo has said that the Nigeria Police would ensure that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) delivered a free, fair and credible election today in Osun State. Kokumo, who is also the head of the security for the Osun governorship election, told Saturday Sun that 21,000 policemen have been deployed to ensure a rancour- free election in Osun. He said the Nigeria Police Force has also deployed four commissioners of police, 15 deputy commissioners of police and 30 assistant commissioners of police to ensure a peaceful exercise.
According to him, adequate police personnel of the rank of chief superintendents of police and below have equally been deployed for the election. He said the police under him would oversee the implementation of the Operation Order evolved from the Election Security Threat Assessment. According to him, the police and other security agencies would ensure a peaceful and conducive environment, devoid of violence for law-abiding citizens to freely perform their civic responsibilities without molestation or intimidation. He further said that other senior officers deployed would coordinate human and other operational deployments in the three senatorial districts, 30 local government areas and 3,753 polling units in the state. He said the CP and Provost Marshall at the Force Headquarters, Mr. Julius Alawari, had been temporarily deployed to Osun for the election and would be there until the conclusion of the exercise.
According to Kokumo, the personnel deployed were drawn from the conventional police officers, Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Special Forces personnel, Explosives Ordinance Disposal Unit (EOD), Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) and InterPol.
He said others were drawn from the Special Protection Unit (SPU), Police Airwing, Public Relations Department (FPRD) and the police medical team. Kokumo also said men of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Army and the Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC) will also complement the Nigeria Police Force in the task of maintaining peace and tranquility during and after the election.
