THE Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, has ordered the deployment of more than 30 top senior officials and high-powered machine assets for the June 18, 2022 governorship election in Ekiti State.
Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, making this known in a statement today, said the high powered team for the election operation would be led by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) and supervising the South-West zone, Babatunde Kokumo.
Kokumo would be assisted by four Assistant Inspectors-General of Police, three Commissioners of Police, five Deputy Commissioners of Police, and 18 Assistant Commissioners of Police.
“The Senior Officers are to coordinate human and other operational deployments in the three senatorial districts, 16 Local Government Areas and the 2445 polling units in Ekiti State,” Adejumo said.
Other officers to be drawn from the various units of the Force include conventional police officers, and men from the Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Special Forces, Explosives Ordinance Unit (EOD) and Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB).
Others are men from the Special Protection Unit (SPU) and Force Public Relations Department (FPRD), as well as police medical teams.
The Force spokesperson said that the IGP had directed that four helicopters, five Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), and four Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) should be deployed for the polls.
While assuring the nation and the international community of a credible election, the IGP said the force was adequately prepared for the Ekiti governorship election.
He reiterated that the Force would do everything within its power to work with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and all stakeholders to protect democratic values, provide level playing field for all political actors, and ensure adequate protection of voters, INEC officials, equipment, accredited observers – both domestic and international – and other key players in Ekiti State.
He pleaded with the electorate to be law-abiding and comply with the restriction of the movement order, which Adejobi said would be announced by the Commissioner of Police in the state, when due.
