LAGOS — Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Musa, the Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, yesterday, warned those planning to foment trouble during Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State to have a rethink or they would be decisively dealt with.
While General Musa said during his visit to troops in Edo that there is no going back on making the election free, fair and credible, cautioning security personnel to be neutral and professional in their conduct, the Police, which have started covert operations in the state, deploying plainclothes personnel to dark spots, and NSCDC also spoke in like manner.
In an interview with Vanguard, Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, said DIG Frank Mba and DIG Daniel Pedro will lead about 35,000 Police personnel deployed to Edo for the poll.
He warned those not participating in the election to stay indoors because there will be no movement without the Permanent Voters Card, PVC, during the election.
This is coming on a day the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, airlifted election materials to Benin, with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, delivering sensitive election materials for the poll.
The materials, according to a tweet on INEC’s X handle, arrived at Benin Airport earlier yesterday.
“Sensitive materials for the Edo State governorship election, holding on Saturday, September 21, 2024, arrived at Benin Airport earlier today,” the commission tweeted, and restated its readiness for the polls, urging stakeholders to discharge their mandates creditably for the good of all.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has deployed 6,433 personnel and vowed to protect public assets during the exercise.
We want to have best election ever — General Musa
Addressing troops at the headquarters of the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, General Musa said: “We want to have the best election in Edo State, and we are ready. You have been briefed on what parts you are supposed to play, we are working as a team and we are all Nigerians here, nobody is more Nigerian than the other person.
“With other security forces, we are going to work together as a team: the police, the civil defence, DSS and all the others. We know the election has a lot of issues, there are a lot of expectations and we want this election to go without any rancour. We don’t want any disturbance, nobody should come and intimidate anybody.
“On election day, our duty is to ensure the election is free, fair and credible. INEC is the one conducting the election, the Nigerian police are the lead agency in security, so we must provide that security.
“We know the Armed Forces are the last hope of the nation, we cannot afford to fail ourselves or fail our nation. None of us will do anything that will put the Armed Forces in disrepute, I don’t want to hear that it is the Armed Forces that has caused one problem here and there. No.
“Our goal is to provide security. No other agency in the name of vigilante, hunters or other names should carry arms. Only the statutory security agencies are allowed to carry arms and operate on that Saturday.
Election is not war
“Your commanders will show and direct you on what to do, we are restricting movement, no convoy movement, everybody should just walk to voting centres and go back. Election should not be a war, we don’t want anybody injured, we don’t want anybody killed.
‘’Anybody who decides to carry any weapon, whether cutlass, dane gun or any other thing, we must get that person. I want this election to be the best ever and we can make that happen, we made that possible in the last three states and this one will not be different.
‘’We have a task on Saturday, everybody in the world is watching what will happen in Edo on Saturday and you must not allow anybody to compromise you.”
Plainclothes policemen flood Benin
To forestall any breakdown of law and order, plainclothes policemen from the Criminal Investigation Department, CID, Special Investigation Bureau, SIB, and others have flooded Benin City, the state capital, ahead of the election.
Although Benin City looked calm, the plain-clothes policemen were sighted in several places as they visited dark spots, bars and lounges around the town.
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