Police arrest vigilance group members for alleged interference in election duties

THE Delta State police command yesterday warned vigilance group members and other voluntary security outfits against interfering in election duties. The state’s Commissioner of Police, Adeyinka, who gave the warning in Asaba revealed that three suspects are in police net now for meddling in police duties.

According to him, “the state command is dismayed with the way and manner majority of the volunteer organizations are meddling into the election security affairs. A reference point is the three suspects, David Ukiri, Alfred Joseph and Uvwiejibobor Akpevwe all of Udu in Udu Local Government Area, arrested with arms by a detachment of policemen deployed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to se- cure electoral materials, who claim to be members of vigilante and were detailed by their chairman to escort electoral materials. “The police authority reiterates that the responsibility of providing security during the general elections rests on the police in collaboration with other sister agencies namely army, navy, civil defence, Federal Road Safety Corps, immigration, air force, and the Department of State Security (DSS).

“The police therefore warn all stakeholders who have or intend to employ the services of private security agents, volunteers, guards, vigilantes for the purpose of securing/escorting electoral materials to desist from doing so. Any such armed private security personnel in whatever form or guise will be appropriately dealt with”.