Bayelsa rerun: Tension as Military, DIG, AIG, 5,000 personnel deployed for security

Barely 24 hours to the supplementary polls in Bayelsa State, tension is at an all-time high in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area where the election is holding as the two major political parties fielding candidates are poised to outdo one another.

However, the Military, Police and other security agencies have beefed up security by deploying men and materials to prevent a re-occurrence of the December 5, 2015 episode which led to the cancellation of the election held in the area.

Already, the police authorities have banned movement of people from and outside the state before and during the polls.

As at Wednesday, the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, who deployed a Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) to supervise security arrangements assured that adequate security logistics and manpower have been strategically deployed to achieve a conducive electioneering atmosphere.

The DIG will be assisted by an Assistant Inspector-General of Police and three Commissioners of Police (CPs). Besides, over 5,000 conventional policemen have also been deployed for the election duty.

A statement by Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole: said: “the Police have commenced extensive security operations in the state, including the deployment of plainclothes detectives and surveillance helicopters for aerial patrols, while gunboats and speed boats will complement the Police Marine Unit to convey security personnel and election materials to riverine communities.

“Armed personnel from Police Mobile Force, Special Protection Unit, as well as Counter Terrorism Unit of the Force, are on ground to support the ongoing security operations in the state.

“In the same vein, the IG has also placed an order banning movements in and out of the local government areas where elections will hold with effect from 6am to 6pm on January 9, 2016.

“However, persons on essential duties such as ambulance service providers, INEC officials on-duty, security men, accredited election monitors/observers, accredited journalists, etc are not affected by this order.

While expressing his regrets over the inconveniences that road users and the general public may suffer as a result of this restriction, the IGP appeals for the understanding and cooperation of the entire citizenry, as the restriction is essentially to ensure the effective security of citizens, election officials and materials, adding that it is a strategy to curtail the influx and movement of undesirable and criminal elements in and out of the affected Local Government Areas before and during the election.

The IGP also appealed to law abiding citizens not to be afraid of the massive security but to come out en masse to exercise their civic right, as the Police, assisted by other security agencies, have mapped out plans to ensure that persons who are out to cast their votes, do so without fear of molestation from any quarter. They are advised to shun violence and all forms of thuggery, as the full weight of the law will take its course on anyone apprehended.

It would be recalled that since Monday, the major political parties and their candidates in tomorrow’s election Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been beating the war drums, with the opposition PDP alleging that the ruling APC had perfected plans to use security agencies and INEC to rig the election in its favour warning that its members would use all legitimate actions at their disposal to resist such action.

But the APC replied that it was aware of the antics of the PDP of instigating violence, and called on security agents to be on the alert to nip such act in the bud.