The Federal Road Safety Corps is to deploy additional 2,000 personnel and 100 vehicles for the November 18 gubernatorial election in Anambra State.
Its Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, disclosed this in a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday.
Kazeem said the men and vehicles would be drawn from neighbouring Delta and Enugu States to complement the Sector Command and sister security agencies in the state.
He said: “We are deploying patrol vehicles from Delta and Enugu state commands and the unit commands with monitors from RSHQ (Road Safety Head Headquarters) to ensure road blockage and diversion on the day of the election, aside deployment at polling stations.
“So, the additional patrol vehicles will be drawn from the following commands: Asaba, Enugu Night Mile, Agbor, Issele Ukwu, Nsukka, Okigwe, Obolo-Afor, Agwu and RSHQ.
“In all, we are hoping to deploy about 100 vehicles in all, while about 2,000 personnel will be deployed for the duties.”
Asked what road traffic management personnel would be doing at polling centres, the FRSC spokesman explained that their role would be purely complementary to ensure crowd control and discipline.
Kazeem said: “You know we are a paramilitary organisation. So, we do security duties too. If they put two policemen somewhere, they can put one immigration and road safety.
“All the security agencies will come together – police, SSS, FRSC, NDLEA, Immigration and Customs if they are there.
“They will have them in a pool and distribute in polling stations to do security duties just to maintain order and discipline.”
On Friday, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, announced that 21,000 police personnel and logistics including helicopters, gun boats, patrol vehicles and bomb disposal units would be deployed for the exercise.
Idris said the aim was to provide adequate security coverage during the election.
Other relevant agencies including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence and the Nigerian Army are expected to make similar move before the polls.
