March 9 polls: Buhari, Service Chiefs meet

…As IGP threatens thugs, ballot box snatchers
…Deploys more personnel to Niger Delta
President Muhammadu Buhari has met behind closed-doors with the Service Chiefs and other heads of security agencies as the nation approaches the March 9 governorship and State House of Assembly elections in few days from now.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, who briefed State House correspondents after the meeting on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, warned that the security agencies have resolved to deal with anyone who engages in ballot box snatching and thuggery with ruthlessness.

Adamu revealed that over 300 persons had been arrested in connection with various irregularities in the recent polls, noting that as soon as investigations are concluded, they will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The police chief disclosed that states where electoral violence and malpractices are prone are going to be flooded with security personnel in the Saturday elections.

Among states where security presence will be much visible includes Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo and a number of states in the South West that witnessed some killing of electorate during the recent Presidential and National Assembly election which held on February 23.

Adamu said that the security agencies were ready to ensure adequate security before, during and after the elections.

He advised the people to go out and vote for the candidates of their choice, assuring that security had been enhanced.

Hde said: “We are all aware of the fact that we just concluded the presidential and National Assembly elections and we want to congratulate Nigerians for the peaceful conduct of the elections and we are prepared now for the governorship and the House of Assembly elections in the country.

“We will like every Nigerian to come out and cast his or her vote. The security arrangement we provided during the presidential elections is being enhanced so as to provide enabling environment for everybody to come out and cast his or her vote for their preferred candidates.

“We will again advise those that will want to disrupt the process to rethink because during the presidential election, we had some few challenges here and there, those challenges, we will not allow those challenges to repeat themselves. We are taking more security measures to address those pockets of challenges we noticed.

“So, thuggery again, is not allowed, ballot snatching is not allowed, disruption of the election process is not allowed. We, the security personnel, have resolved to deal ruthlessly with anybody that attempts to disrupt the process of this election.

“For that reason, we expect every states, the conduct of the election should be respected. We expect that electoral materials must not be tempered with, we expect that the INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) officials would do their work without fear or favour and without being allowed to be compromise.

“At the same time, the security personnel are to perform their duties without allowing themselves to be compromised.

“So, we have heightened the security arrangement to make sure that the election goes without any hitch.”

On whether Police made any arrest of people that allegedly disrupted the election during the February 23 elections, the IGP said that some arrest had been made.

He said: “We have made a number of arrests all over the country but probably we shall come out with the number of arrests we have made in terms of those that disputed the process of the election in some areas within the country. We have a lot of arrest.

“Investigation is ongoing. There is an investigative team that has been setup headed by the Commissioner of Police in-charge of legal, they are compiling the case files, they are investigating them. At the end of the investigation, the police liaising with INEC will prosecute them.”

Also asked on efforts put in place to stop killings and disruption of the elections especially in Bayelsa State, he said that the security agencies had increased their personnel in Bayelsa and states within the zone.

He said: “Virtually, in Bayelsa and other states within that zone that we have taken notice of the fact that people there are prone to violence, we have increased the number of security personnel that have been posted there.

“Also, we have increased intelligence outfit that has been posted there so as to help us identify those people that are trying to cause problem so that we can take them out of the environment before they cause the problem. Therefore, there is increase in security personnel.”

While responding to the allegation of militarisation of the electoral process by the security agencies, the IGP said: “Well, as I said before, everybody, the lives of Nigerians are secured in terms of provision of adequate security to come out and vote.

“If you judge what you have said with the report of the international observers and local observers, you will see that both the local and international observers have adjudged the process to be peaceful.

“So pocket of challenges you get here and there did not affect the peaceful conduct of the elections. The process was peaceful and credible.”

He said that there was a good working relationship between the police and other sister security agencies even as he also pointed out the police were saddled with the responsibility of internal security of the country.

Also fielding question on which security agency was superior to the other, he said: “Well, there is no superiority in terms of security agencies.

We only talk of the role but when it comes to internal security, it is the police that are the lead agency, and other security agencies support the police in terms of internal security.”

The Service Chiefs at the meeting were Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonishakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Buratai, Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok-Ete IIbas, and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar.

Also present at the meeting included the National Security Adviser, Major Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), Director General of National Intelligence Agency, the Director General, Department of Security Service and Acting Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu.

The Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dangazzau (rtd) and the Minister of Defence, Brigadier Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd) were also part of the meeting.