The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has said 66,241 police will be deployed in Bayelsa and Kogi during the November 16 governorship elections in both states.
Adamu was on Friday reacting to the fear expressed by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, at the meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security organised by the commission in Abuja.
Yakubu said, “There are already warning signals in the two states. Both are politically volatile. Elections have been severally disrupted by violence in the past. Our own risk assessment which will be shared with the security agencies at this meeting has identified some flashpoints.
“We are also concerned that thugs have been mobilised from within and outside the states with the aim of either influencing the elections or disrupting the process on behalf of partisan sponsors. This calls for a robust response before the elections on election day and during the process of collation and declaration of results.”
But Adamu said the officers to be deployed for the polls had been prepared to provide adequate security during the election process.
The IG said, “The police as the lead agency for internal security are ready for the elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states. We are aware of the security challenges in the two states and we have made adequate provisions in terms of personnel and logistics to tackle any security challenge we might face.
“In Bayelsa, we are deploying 31,041 officers to cover the election.
“In Kogi, we are deploying 35,200. Thugs will not be allowed to disrupt elections in the areas will be manned.”
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