These actions are being taken amid escalating political tensions and a history of instability during elections.
Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force's Public Relations Officer, told PUNCH in an interview that law enforcement officials are doing everything in their power to ensure a safe and orderly election process. Adejobi provided a detailed plan that calls for the mobilization of people, including both uniformed and plainclothes officers, as well as a variety of anti-riot equipment.
Armoured personnel carriers, water cannons, and tear gas canisters are some of the significant pieces of equipment that will be used. However using drones as part of the security system is a huge technological development in the endeavor to watch over and secure these important elections.
Adejobi emphasized that the committee-level meetings between the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were co-chaired by INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun. The purpose of these meetings is to coordinate efforts to guarantee a peaceful and efficient election process.
Concerns about political thuggery and violence in the lead-up to the elections led to the decision to use drones. Unsettling incidents during governorship elections in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa in recent years have resulted in the loss of life and property.
Governors Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and Douye Diri of Bayelsa State are both running for re-election in the current political atmosphere, and Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State is endorsing Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress.
With regard to the police force's preparedness for the off-cycle governorship elections in the states of Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo, Adejobi declared, "We have done our operational order for each of these states, and we are extremely ready for deployment. Our staff has access to the Standard Operating Procedures, which are the documents we use for election duty. We will have enough personnel deployed because it is an off-season election.
"The Inspector-General of Police has directed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of operations to circulate the operation order and Standard Operations Procedure -- just like a bucket note that everyone deployed for the assignment would be armed with," the speaker continued.
Additionally, we will use our resources to make sure that each of the three states is prepared for credible, free, and fair elections. We have the necessary tools, including weapons and ammunition, water cannons, armoured personnel carriers, drones, and plainclothes officers who would be on the front lines gathering intelligence for us.
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