…Beats Chest for Winning Laurels Abroad
…Says We’ve Always Earned a Pass Mark On Election Duty
…Welcomes New Technologies by INEC

The Nigerian Police have canvassed greater citizens’ appreciation of their roles particularly in the policing of elections in the country, where they’ve always earned kudos in spite of rising complaints of over policing, harassment and infringement of citizens rights during the process.

This is coming as some stakeholders at a Roundtable on Election Technology in Abuja, say the massive Police deployment in the series of off season elections which they perceived as “over policing,” has been counterproductive and in most cases lead to harassment of the citizenry. They also call for a change of strategy on the closing of borders, restriction of movement and virtual shut down of social life which is a far cry of what happens in other climes during Election Day.

The last Anambra governorship election saw the deployment of a total of 34,587 officers which some see as an over kill, almost akin to going to war.

According to Inspector-General of Police, Mr Usman Alkali Baba, the team which include two deputy inspectors-general of police (DIGs) and five assistant inspectors-general of police (AIGs) were deployed to Anambra to help ensure adequate security for the November 6 governorship election in the South-east state.

The deployment was a seeming response to the general apprehension that the election may be disrupted by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which is agitating for the creation of an independent Biafra country.

Police Spokesperson, Mr Frank Mba, who announced the deployment in a statement, said 14 commissioners of police, 31 deputy commissioners of police, and 48 assistant commissioners of police were also deployed to the state.

Mr Mba described the deployment as “a major overhauling of the security landscape in Anambra” ahead of the election.

He said Mr Joseph Egbunike, a deputy inspector-general of police, was to co-ordinate the security component for the election. He would be assisted by the acting deputy inspector-general of police in-charge of operations, Mr Zaki Ahmed.

“DIG Egbunike is saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of the Operation Order evolved from the Election Security Threat Assessment, to ensure a peaceful environment devoid of violence and conducive enough to guarantee that law abiding citizens freely perform their civic responsibilities without molestation or intimidation,” Mr Mba said.

The police IG, Mr Baba, said the Police are “adequately prepared” for the election, and that they would do everything within their powers to ensure a free and fair election in the state, the statement stated.

“The IGP calls on citizens in Anambra State to come out en masse and exercise their franchise as adequate security has been emplaced to protect them before, during and after the elections,” the statement added.

“I want to reassure the general public that the security agencies are going to do everything within their power to ensure that the people of Anambra State undergo this exercise without any incident,” he said.

Even the deployment to the 2020 governorship election in Edo State where there were no internal disturbances was equally massive with a total of 31,000 Police officers to man 2,627 polling units spread across 18 local government areas.

But Mba, a commissioner of Police says a country gets the nature of Police it desires. Arguing that because we are in an abnormal situation in Nigeria, things tend to be abnormal. “If we did not close the borders during the last Osun governorship election, how do you distinguish between the citizens of Osun and other neighboring states like Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti,” he queries.

He however says as our elections get better with the use of technology and a change of citizens behavior, we may not need that kind of massive deployment of the Police and other security forces.

“People usually shout at the massive deployment of Police officers during every election. But at the end, they’ll give us kudos”, says Mba. This is really not far fetched.

Cleen Foundation praised the professional role of the Police and other security officials deployed to the Anambra election.

“We also observed that the election marked a huge improvement in terms of the deployment of security personnel across most polling units and their conduct on election duty. The Nigeria Police Force deployed a total of 34,587 police personnel, while the Nigeria Security and civil Defence Corps deployed about 20,000 personnel to provide security for the elections and electorates and to maintain law and order during the voting process in the state,” the organisation says in its report.

Stirring some rhetorical questions about the exemplary conduct Police officers on international assignments, Mba raises posers: “Why are we never appreciated by our citizens at home? Why is it that while our officers keep getting accolades abroad, they get opprobrium at home? One of our officers just got elected as vice president of International Police (Interpol). We go on assignments abroad, we win laurels and some don’t even want our officers to leave. But at home here we are hardly appreciated for what we do.”

Speaking further at the Staholders Roundtable on Election Technology convened by Yiaga Africa in Abuja, under the European Union Support for Democracy and Governnace in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) project, Mba says the Police welcomes technology but cautioned that every new technology comes with its own associated crimes.

Pointing to the COVID-19 era where digital tools became dominant, he revealed that the criminals also moved their antics to digital platforms.

“We welcome new technologies by INEC which has allowed us to shut out election riggers but we should understand that every new technology blocks one part and opens another,” he quips.