POLICE ASSURE IMO RESIDENTS OF SECURITY AND PEACEFUL POLLS
Residents of Imo State have been assured of adequate security of lives and property during this Saturday’s presidential and National elections.
The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of security in south east states for the elections, Mr. Michael Ogbizi, gave the assurance while briefing journalists at the end of an inter-agency security meeting held in Owerri.
Mr. Ogbizi urged the electorate and INEC officials taking part in the elections to discharge their responsibilities without fear of molestation as the police and other sister agencies had taken measures to ensure a peaceful environment.
The DIG warned those planning to buy votes at polling units, snatch ballot boxes or engage in any other act capable of disrupting the elections to have a rethink as his men were determined to deal with perpetrators according to the dictates of the law.
“There should be no fear or any reason whatsoever to underrate our capacity to respond to any threat and specifically IPOB for long has been taking laws into their own hands and conducting themselves with impunity…, For those who will go close to polling units to buy votes or to engage in any form of action to influence the course of this process, they will not go unpunished,” Ogbizi warned.
Mr. Ogbizi charged security personnel deployed for elections to maintain high professional standard, warning that measures had been put in place to apprehend anybody found to have compromised his position.
The DIG explained that the four suspects who were arrested and paraded last week in Owerri for escorting a politician while in fake army uniforms were being investigated to unravel those behind the act.
He further warned that security agencies would clamp down on those wishing to use fake police and military uniforms to manipulate the elections in the south east.
Our Correspondent reports that more than ten thousand policemen have been deployed by the Imo state command to participate in the election.
CHINAZO ILECHUKWU
