How we ensured peaceful presidential, N’ Assembly polls –by Police

The Police High Command yesterday pledged to maintain the momentum and ensure peace throughout remaining governorship and state House of Assembly elections.

Force spokesman, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, an Acting Commissioner of Police, told Crime Watch Today that Nigerians would continue to witness high professionalism from officers and men in the remaining polls.
According to Ojukwu the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, had briefed all officers and men through their Assistant Inspectors-General and Commissioners on the need to maintain high professionalism throughout the elections.
Said Ojukwu, “What we saw yesterday was as result of good planning, good training and the willingness of our officers and men and other security agencies to do the right thing. We are alive to our responsibility at any critical time.
“We are ready to ensure professionalism by our officers, men and other security agencies. Police will continue to ensure peace, safety of lives and property and stability in our nation. Nigerians should go about their business without any fear of molestation as everything has been put in place to ensure safety of lives and property.”
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Cornelius Aderanti and heads of Navy, Air force, Army, Department of State Security (DSS) and others carried out aerial patrols of the metropolis.
Aderanti and his colleagues were on the helicopter patrolling Badagry, Epe, Ikorodu and other parts of Lagos from morning till evening.
In Delta State, over 50 persons were arrested for alleged thuggery and masterminding chaos.
Spokesperson of the police in Delta State, Celestina Kalu, a Deputy Superintendent, said no crisis was recorded in the state.
“Delta State was very calm. There was no major incident except for a few people who tried to harass voters. We have arrested over 50 of the hoodlums. Our policemen are everywhere and the state is peaceful.”
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 6 Calabar, Tunde Ogunshakin, noted that his zone was peaceful and that the police would continue to maintain the tempo.
“The police were in charge and things are going on well in my zone.’
Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Samuel Adegbuyi, told Crime Watch Today that one person was arrested with a gun trying to disrupt activities at a polling a booth. Because our men were not allowed to bear arms at the units, they could not do much so some persons sustained bullet wounds. But we were able to arrest the suspect with the help of other people around.”
The Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, Mr. Joseph Mbu who moved around the Lagos metropolis with his officers and men on Saturday had urged residents and voters in Lagos to ignore rumours of crisis in various parts of Lagos.
The police boss who spoke during his visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Resident Electoral Commissioner in Yaba, Lagos during the presidential election, warned hoodlums and thugs to desist from causing mayhem during and after the elections. Mbu noted that adequate security was in place to ensure that there was no voter intimidation.
According to him, “what we did now has not been done before. We have Commissioners of Police here within Zone 2. The Commissioner of Police Port Authority, Airport, Police Co-operatives, Railways commands. A Commissioner of Police heads each of the senatorial zones and they can give directives to the DPOs and all officers under them. This arrangement is outside the Lagos State Police Command structure. It makes the job easy for the commands Commissioners of police and all of us.
“I have seen the Resident Electoral Commissioner and everything was going on well. Don’t listen to rumours. I have received text messages about crisis in some parts but they were not true,” Mbu said.