In a bid to curb polls’ fraud in the forthcoming Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom state, the Commissioner of Police (CP), Olatoye Durosinmi, has declared that no stone would be left unturned in ensuring a hitch-free exercise devoid of violence, disclosing that some fake security officers on Police and military uniforms arrested with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were currently undergoing secret trial.
Addressing a forum of civil society and election stakeholders at the state Command headquarters at Ikot Akpanabia, near Uyo, the state capital, the Police chief stressed the need for peace, saying “those fake security personnel arrested during the Presidential and National Assembly Elections, are currently undergoing orderly room procedures, while hoodlums indicted for various forms of thuggery during the polls, are also being investigated.”
While promising massive deployment of Police operatives to work with other security agencies across all trouble zones, the Commissioner warned hoodlums to stay off such suspected battleground areas during the rescheduled elections as the Command was battle – ready to contain the excesses of some ill – advised hoodlums.
“We are here to discuss what happened during the February 25th Presidential and National Assembly Elections, to have a review and actually discuss; we want to hear from you, your feelings and what happened in your areas because politics is local. He explained.
He recalled that “some criminals were arrested during the elections, and they were security men among them. The criminals are being investigated and the security officers among them are undergoing orderly room procedures, and anyone found guilty will be sanctioned.”
For the next polls on March 18, the CP assured of adequate preparations, saying; “we have what it takes to ensure a free and fair polls”, stressing that “all our trouble zones will be adequately covered, we have massive deployments to all the zones in the state”.
However, it was learnt troops drawn from the 2 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Ibagwa, in Abak LGA, deployed to monitor the contests, apprehended them on a tip-off, and handed them over to the Police for diligent investigation and prosecution