IG Vows to Arrest Policemen Attached to VIPs during Elections

The acting Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, has vowed to arrest any policeman attached to any politician during the elections, saying that no police officer is allowed to accompany any politician during the forthcoming elections.

Adamu, who spoke yesterday at the public presentation of a partnership between some stakeholders in the elections, noted that ensuring security during the conduct of the polls was the duty of every participant.

The partnership, headed by the Transition Monitoring Group and the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, included the Police Service Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), among others.

Adamu said, “Everyone has a civic responsibility in ensuring peaceful and credible elections. Election materials must be secured. Electoral officials, domestic and foreign observers must be protected.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission has rolled out the ways stakeholders should conduct themselves. On our part, we assure the nation that all electoral materials will be secured and the electorate will be allowed to cast their votes without monetisation.

“No police officer is allowed to move around with any VIP on election day. Anyone, who does so in uniform or mufti will be arrested.”

The acting IG added that all security agents would wear tags to ensure there are no fake officers “because we have heard that a lot of fake uniforms are being brought into the country.”

He also noted that security agents would monitor ad hoc staff that could easily be manipulated, “especially National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.”

Adamu added that observers were allowed to take pictures but that they could not take pictures of people while voting “such that you know what party they are voting for.”