The Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, has disclosed that no fewer than 33,783 police personnel will be deployed ahead of Saturday’s governorship poll in Ondo State.
The IGP revealed this on Monday during the INEC Stakeholders’ meeting for the Ondo Governorship Election.
According to the Police Chief, the security personnel who will be on election duty in the state will comprise 30,933 conventional police personnel as well as 2,850 Special Police Units.
While emphasising that the police deployment would be complemented by an additional 3,500 manpower that would be drawn from other security agencies, the IGP stated that there would not be any room for political thugs to operate as flashpoints in the state has identified.
“In ensuring the credibility of the process, we have undertaken security threat assessment and all the flashpoints and actors engaged in, or planning to threaten the electoral process in the state have been identified and strategies have been emplaced to frustrate their criminal, unpatriotic and undemocratic intentions.
“In order to mitigate the identified threats, we shall be deploying, aside our intelligence assets, a total of 33,783 police personnel on election security duty in Ondo State.
“This will comprise of 30,933 conventional police personnel and 2,850 Special Police Units.
“The Police deployment will be complemented by an additional 3,500 manpower that will be drawn from other security agencies.
“The Military will be engaged for the purpose of securing the inter-state borders while the Nigeria Police Airwing will provide air surveillance.
“The rationale for these deployments is purposeful and strategic. Firstly, we are drawing from the experiences garnered in the recently concluded election and proactively responding to the outcome of the intelligence analysis arising from our election threat assessment of Ondo state governorship election.
“Secondly, the deployment is equally to deny misguided political actors that might be bent on threatening the elections through acts that are inimical to the dictates of the Electoral Act, the pleasure of manifesting their ignoble traits.” Adamu said.