EKITI GUBER POLLS: NSCDC DEPLOYS 9,747 PERSONNEL TO BEEF UP SECURITY
• As CG Assured the people of Ekiti State of a smooth election process
Ahead of the gubernatorial election slated to be held in Ekiti State on Saturday, June 18, 2022, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ahmed Abubakar Audi, PhD, mni, has approved the deployment of 9,747 officers and men to provide watertight security for the exercise.
The Commandant General charged all personnel involved in election duty to be professional in their conduct by allowing the Corps’ Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to guide their performances, according to a press statement e-signed and released to the news media by the corps Director, Public Relations, DCC Olusola Odumosu, stressing that the service must remain apolitical and neutral to avoid any form of compromise during the election.
He maintained that necessary machinery has been put in place to provide effective security for INEC officials, sensitive and non-sensitive materials, before, during, and after the election, reiterating that all the 2,445 polling units, collation centres, flashpoints, and other criminal hideouts are fully covered.
The CG further hinted that personnel from Kogi, Edo, Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Zone J and the National Headquarters have been drafted to support the Ekiti State Command in beefing up security for the polls and protecting critical national assets in all the 16 Local Government Areas of the State.
The composition of the deployment for the Ekiti election includes personnel from the Arms Squad, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Explosives Unit (CBRNE), Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), Kennel Unit, Counter-Terrorism Unit, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Special Female Squad, Ops Special Squad, and CG’s Special Monitoring team.
The Commandant General, on the other hand, assured the people of Ekiti State of a smooth election process, stating that the Corps will work with other security agencies to protect the electorate and apprehend any criminal attempting to destabilise the state.
He warned parents to put their wards in check at this critical period in the state’s history, so that they won’t become easy tools in the hands of do-or-die politicians seeking to hijack ballot boxes or cause mayhem to upturn the election. The Assistant Commandant General (ACG) Special Duties, Haruna Lawal Muhammed, fdc, has been deployed to head and coordinate the election operations in the state, to be assisted by the Zonal Commander (Zone J) and other senior officersin the zone.
