Nigeria tightens security ahead of presidential polls

Nigerian authorities have ordered tight security across the country as Saturdays presidential polls draw near. The police has said that to ensure peaceful elections, it is deploying maximally and would be making the enormous use of its human and material resources. National police spokesman Frank Mba told reporters in Abuja that the deployments would be made overtly and covertly, in view of the countrys security situation. According to Mba, both the marine and air wing of the police are fully on alert for the elections. Helicopters, he said, will be deployed based on exigencies. Mounted troopers, as well as the canine and the explosives and ordnance department of the police, are also fully activated, Mba noted. Moreover, Nigerias acting national police chief Mohammed Adamu on Monday ordered the deployment of six deputy inspectors-general of police to monitor the security situations in the six geopolitical regions of the country. Almost every policeman in the country would be on election duty, Mba said, adding even police personnel in the offices, in control room, including those on decoy operation or intelligence, everyone would be on duty. Medical personnel would be on standby in case of emergencies during the general elections. Mba said the police and other security agencies were fully ready to ensure the elections are peaceful, free, fair and credible. Some of the previous elections in the country were marred by post-election violence in which scores were reportedly killed. On Jan. 21, the government said there were security threats to the upcoming general elections, alerting citizens of the West African country to be wary of pending attacks before, during and after the polls. The government said it had credible intelligence that some opposition politicians had plans to orchestrate widespread violence to truncate the elections. A fortnight ago, the countrys national security adviser met with state governors, alerting them of plans by some groups to scuttle the polls via widespread violence. In 2011, immediately after the elections, widespread violence erupted in the northern part of the country. In 2015, the Independent National Electoral Commission, Nigerias electoral body, had to reschedule the general elections due to security concerns. The Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, another leading paramilitary agency, said Tuesday it has deployed at least 60,000 personnel across the country for the presidential polls. Kelechi Madu, a deputy commandant-general of the security agency, told Xinhua it would work in synergy with other security agencies. Madu said, as expected, the paramilitary agency was fully prepared to provide security for citizens and ensure that the countrys critical national infrastructure was safeguarded. All logistics and incentives have been made available to personnel of the corps to ensure that they are well catered for throughout the election period, he said. In addition, the security agencys counterterrorism unit will be posted at the entry and exit points of the countrys capital city of Abuja, with its personnel fully armed for better operation, Madu said. Xinhua

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Nigeria tightens security ahead of presidential polls