NSCDC deploys 13,311 personnel in Edo for guber election

In preparation towards the forthcoming Edo and Ondo States gubernatorial elections, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has trained her personnel on the new electoral guidelines in COVID-19 period.

These have become necessary to ensure that every act of electoral malpractices, violence, acts of hooliganism and other social vices that could affect the smooth conduct of the elections are nipped in the bud, according to the Corps.

The Commandant General of the Corps, Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu, while briefing the participants, representative of INEC Chairman and the representative of the National Council for Disease Control (NCDC) at the Corps Headquarters Abuja on the need for training before the election proper, reiterated that the Corps as a critical stakeholder in election monitoring was ensuring that personnel were properly guided before being fully deployed in any election for the provision of physical security at the polling booth, polling units, protection of the ballot boxes as well as electoral officers.

He also stated that the Corps had a critical function to perform before, during and after election by educating and enlightening the populace, the political actors and political gladiators to employ a peaceful approach of conducting the electoral processes without rancour.

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In another vein, he re-echoed that “considering the present situation where the society is being ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important therefore to enlighten the personnel on the critical Covid-19 guidelines before embarking on the exercise.”

Gana made it known that the Corps in addition had deployed the Deputy Commandant General in charge of Operations Hillary Kelechi Madu in the task of leading the assignment along with other 3 Assistant Commandant Generals, 7 Commandants to serve as field coordinating officers in charge of the three senatorial districts.

The Corps Commandant said it was deploying a total number of 13,311 personnel drawn from the headquarters and neighbouring state such as Kogi, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta and Ondo in Edo to complement the personnel of the Edo state Command and Zonal Command in Benin in other to ensure free and fair and credible election in Edo state devoid of electoral violence.

According to the Corps Commandant, “Also, 60 sniffer dogs are being deployed to INEC office for crowd control and detection of combustive elements as well as IEDs, other specialized unit deployed are mobile surveillance vehicles, the special weapon and tactical unit (SWAT), the Chemical Biological and Radioactive Nuclear unit (CBRN), Counter Terrorism, Operations and Special Duties, Intelligence department, Medical and Disaster Management among others.”

He stated that apart from the election duty, there was need to beef up security around Infrastructure and National Assets from being soft target of attacks by hoodlums and vandals who unduly take advantage of election periods to carry out their nefarious and dastardly act as well as identified black spots and other areas prone to attack and vandalism.

The CG assured the personnel of adequate provision of logistics for the operation and also cautioned that they should work in harmony with other sister agencies without conflict as the Corps will not tolerate any act of misconduct during the operations.

He warned the personnel to deal with the populace with high level of civility and diplomacy to protect the name and integrity of the Corps.

To the politicians, he advised that leadership was not a do or die affair but service to humanity and to the electorate, advising that they should turn out en-masse to vote for the leaders of their choice, eschew violence and allow peace to reign because anyone caught fomenting trouble would face the wrath of the law as “Edo is their only state and they do not have any other state to claim; therefore they should not mortgage their conscience.”

Gana said that working in collaboration with suster agencies a free and fair election in Edo was guaranteed.