The Nigeria Police said, its security Operatives responded to about one hundred and eighty-five (185) major incidents, arrested a total of two hundred and three (203) offenders linked to various electoral offences and sundry crimes have so far been arrested, while not less than eighteen. (18) firearms of various descriptions were recovered from political thugs during the 25 February 2023 Elections exercise.
The Inspector General of Police IGP Usman Alkali Baba disclosed this today 6 March 2023 during his meeting with Strategic Managers of the Nigeria Police Force at Peacekeeping Hall, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The IGP Conference, is to interface with and debrief strategic field officers who directly coordinated our election security operations across all the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT during the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Baba said all the cases are at various stages of investigations at the Nigeria Police Electoral Offences Desks and assured that in due course they will be concluded and processed to the Legal Department of the Independent National Electoral Commission for prosecution.
He noted that democracy is a dynamic process. Election security governance practice is similarly dynamic. As the lead agency in the election security framkework, therefore, it is natural that the citizens will continually demand of police a high level security architecture that will deepen their trust and confidence in the electoral process.
The IGP commended all personnel for their resilience and utmost professionalism which they all displayed in the course of their election security operations.
"Our outstanding performance is, indeed, evidenced by the fact that for the first time in the election security history of our beloved country, the Nigeria Police has been widely insulated from accusations that usually accompany any electoral cycle.
"We have, rather, been receiving accolades and encouragements from both local and international election observers for our unprecedented quality election security service delivery. This much was re-echoed by the African Union Commission (AUC) Election Observer Mission and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and several other credible national and international sources", he said.
The Inspector-General of Police reiterates that the Nigeria Police is committed to evolving pathways to incrementally strengthen the Force's operational capacity and professional knowledge in navigating through the complex electoral process dynamics to police our democratic heritage and meet the expectations of the electorates.
The Video Report below: