Ortom vs Jime: Don’t panic, we only sent 5 Commissioners, 4 Deputy Commissioners, 2 Assistant Commissioners to Benue – Police

The Police have said the deployment of more security personnel in Benue State was not to aide rigging but to create a secured environment for peaceful, free and fair elections in the state tomorrow.

This is against fears by the rulings People Democratic Party, PDP that the special deployment of personels to Benue was to intimidate them but aide the opposition, All Progressives Congress, APC rig the elections.

Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of elections in North-Central, DIG Godwin Nwobodo was briefing journalists at the Command’s headquarters in Makurdi on the eve of Saturday 9 polls, where he noted that 7,480 police and other security personnel have been deployed to man the 3,688 polling units in Benue State.

DIG Nwobodo said, “a total of 5 Commissioners, 4 Deputy Commissioners, and 2 Assistant Commissioners of Police are already in the state to man strategic Senatorial Districts and Local Government Areas identified as flashpoints,” adding that Tactical Operations Personnel have also been deployed to checkmate the activities of hoodlums and criminals.

The DIG urged the Benue electorates not to panic but go out peacefully to exercise their franchise, noting that the “deployments are friendly, proactive and not aimed at any persons or group.”

He warned against vehicular movements, stressing that “no form of violence, thuggery, voter intimidation, vote buying, brigandage, bearing arms/weapons, tampering with election materials, hijack of ballot boxes and other disruptive tendencies targeted at truncating the electoral process” would be tolerated.

The DIG who discarded claims that deployment of more security would fuel rigging, called on the people to appreciate the efforts of the police in collaboration with the military and other security agencies at ensuring violence free, fair and credible elections.