RIVERS RERUN: Police pledges to re-enact Edo, Ondo examples, deploys 20,000 men

The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has said that at least 20 000 men, three helicopters and 20 gunboats would be deployed to Rivers State for the December 10 state and National Assembly rerun elections.

Idris stated this while addressing officers and men of Kano State Police Command during a visit, adding that police would want to re-enact the examples on peaceful conduct of elections in Edo and Ondo where governorship polls recently held.

He said, “It is our responsibility to ensure a hitch free exercise and we would do our best to ensure a violence- free rerun election to re-enact the Edo and Ondo examples. We are happy with what happened in both Edo and Ondo states. We will be on ground with 20,000 men, three helicopters and 20 gunboats to ensure violence-free rerun elections”.

Idris who said his men would ensure safety of life and property, however warned that police would not tolerate anybody who dares attack them.

“The police are your friends; they would be there for you to ensure safety of life and property. But I must warn however that we would not condone attacks on our men,” he said.

Read also: Irate youths beat policeman to death for killing of okada man during illegal arrest

Critics are already worried over police promise to re-enact its showing in both Edo and Ondo states, especially as the force were heavily accused of watching and sometimes aiding vote buying and election rigging which allegedly characterise the two recent elections.

Edo State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dan Orbih, had claimed after the election in the state that his party has documented pictures and videos evidences of police officers putting their thumbprints on ballot papers and putting the papers in ballot boxes.

In Ondo, allegations of vote buying which was excessively reported were said to have taken place in full glare of Nigerian police, who before the election assured that it was going to arrest anybody at the polls with more than N5000 on him/her.

 

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