Again, police warn vigilante, private guards to steer clear of polls

Delta State Police Command has reiterated its warning to members of local vigilance groups and private security guards or unauthorised security outfits to steer clear of Saturday’s governorship and house of assembly elections.

The command insisted that it was not the duty of unauthorised security outfits to lay claim to the security of electoral materials, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and voters at polling units.

A statement by the command’s acting public relations officer, ASP Chuks Orisewezie, stressed that the duty of securing electoral materials, facilities, officials, polling units and the electorate was the sole responsibility of the police, in collaboration with other approved security agencies.

Orisewezie said the “warning is coming against the backdrop of the recently arrested suspects by a detachment of Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel deployed to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Asaba, to secure the election materials.

“The suspects, who were arrested with a pump action guns, claimed they were vigilantes from Udu Local Government Area, detailed by their local government chairman to escort the election materials allocated to their local government area from Asaba back to Udu. The suspects have since been arraigned at the Asaba Chief Magistrate’s Court.”

He reiterated that the “order on restriction of vehicular movement from 0600hrs to 1800hrs on the Election Day still stands, in the overall interest of peace and safety for all.

The police image maker also reminded stakeholders and VIPs that their security aides were not permitted to go with them to the polling booth to cast their votes.

Orisewezie solicited the support of traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth leaders, opinion leaders, parents, guardians, and politicians to talk to their children, wards, members and supporters to shun any act capable of causing violence before, during and after the elections.

He admonished voters not to be apprehensive or be afraid of any harm or embarrassment at the polls, but to act with decorum by going to the polling units and peacefully casting their votes and going back straight to their home without fomenting any trouble.

According to him, the Command assured Deltans that adequate security mechanism has been put in place to guarantee their safety as they go to the polls to exercise their franchise, while advising them to be law abiding.

He further reminded all that the police authority or any security agent would not fold its arms and watch hoodlums break the law as violators of the law would be seriously sanctioned.