The Nigeria Police Force has deployed 15,000 personnel to Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps following with 10,210 officers to reinforce security operations across the state.
The deployments bring the number of personnel mobilised by the two security agencies to 25,210, with the personnel expected to provide security at polling units and other strategic locations across the state’s 30 local government areas.
The NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof. Abubakar Audi, ordered the deployment of 10,000 personnel from 10 neighbouring state commands to complement the corps’ existing personnel in Osun.
The personnel were drawn from Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Lagos, Kwara, Edo, Kogi, Delta and Federal Capital Territory commands, with about 1,000 personnel from each command.
The NSCDC spokesman, Afolabi Babawale, said specialised units, including the Commandant-General’s Special Intelligence Squad, Special Weapons and Tactics Unit, Specialised Female Squad, Mining Marshals, Special Strike Force, Crack Squad and K9 Unit, had also been deployed for the election.
Audi charged the personnel to remain professional, neutral and respectful of citizens’ rights, stressing that the security agencies must work together to ensure a peaceful, free, fair and credible election.
He also warned political thugs and other individuals planning to disrupt the poll that they would face the full weight of the law.
