Nigeria to deploy over 300,000 police personnel for general elections: official

ABUJA— Nigerian police will deploy a total of 310,973 personnel across the country for security operations during the general elections scheduled to be held on Feb 25, Inspector General of Police Usman Alkali Baba said.

The deployment will cover the National Collation Center in Abuja, where election results will be eventually announced, as well as other collation centers across the 774 local government areas across the country, Baba told reporters at a press conference in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.

The deployment by the security agency will comprise conventional and riot police, the special counterterrorism unit, special forces, and the police’s intelligence response team, said the police chief.

Baba said the manpower required for the exercise will be complemented by the military and other security agencies, noting from the records of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria’s electoral body, there are a total of 176,846 polling units in 8,809 wards of the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Aside from the military and the secret police’s contribution to the security manpower, other security agencies will contribute a total of 93,495 personnel for the election security operations, he said.

“With this layout, a minimum of at least two personnel drawn from the above agencies will be jointly deployed to man each of the polling units across the country, while the armed personnel will secure the public space, INEC facilities, vulnerable locations, border areas, as well as undertake armed escort duties for INEC personnel, materials in local and international observers,” he added.

While the presidential election and elections into the country’s bicameral legislature will be held on Feb 25, governorship and state legislature elections will take place on March 11, according to an official timetable set by the INEC.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK