The Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG in charge of the Kogi governorship election, Ahmed Habu Sani, has said that they have deployed enough security men to man each of the 3,508 polling units and 239 wards in the 21 local government areas of Kogi state. This he said is to match the threat level in the state. According to Sani about 40,000 officers have been deployed to douse fears of possible violence and disruptions during the exercise. Speaking during the press conference on Thursday, held at the headquarters of Kogi state police Command in Lokoja, Sani warned individuals or groups of people who have the intention of causing mayhem before, during and after the forthcoming election to rethink or face the full wrath of the law.
He said the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies are well prepared regarding manpower and logistics to ensure that the off-cycle election in Kogi state is peaceful and successful.
He said, “We are ready for the conduct of the peaceful and rancour-free election, but whoever does otherwise will certainly regret his or her actions; that is why I am warning troublemakers to either relocate from the state or stay at home throughout the period the election will last because we are very ready to deal with anybody who goes against the law.”
Meanwhile, reports reveal that barely 48 hours to the Kogi governorship election hotels in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital, have been fully booked.
It was revealed that this has created a situation whereby some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), reporters and security agencies were yet to secure accommodation. This is as at the time of filing this report.
