The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Usman Baba, Saturday assured Southeast residents that the police would surmount the security challenges ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Baba, represented by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mr Isaac Akinmoyede, spoke during the opening ceremony of the “Southeast 2023 Elections Security Management Workshop” in Enugu.
He said the police was building a robust synergy with sister security organisations and formations to ensure that the 2023 election is seamless and peaceful.
According to him, the force was brainstorming with other agencies to fashion out ways to deal with existing and emerging security threats in the Southeast.
“It is clear that with robust synergy, cooperation and joint operations this region will be the most peaceful and our people will surely come out to exercise their civic responsibility.
“We are working relentlessly on the goal of ensuring that election holds in the Southeast and people’s vote are secured and it will definitely count,” the IGP assured.
The Training Consultant, who is the former Inspector General Of Police, Solomon Arase, also addressed officers of Enugu Police Command and other participants including Men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, the Media among others.
Arase said five key outcomes were expected after the training namely; robust inter-agency collaboration towards effective security governance during the 2023 general elections and in other future joint electoral security operations; enhanced knowledge of security agents on election security management, drawing on global best practices; Development of an ‘Election Security Management Protocol’ that will act as the standard security management template for future elections at all levels in Nigeria.
“It is anticipated that the document will act as a credible reference document for all security agencies and other strategic stakeholders within the electoral system in Nigeria; Appreciation of peculiar election security threats and specific approaches towards managing them at various stages of the electoral process and Knowledge of current pattern and trend of crimes and internal security threats, and pathways to mitigating them and stabilizing the security order ahead of the 2023 General Elections.
“The training forms part of the IG’s reform and upgrades agenda to strengthen and build the capacity of the Police, particularly as the country heads into an important election year during which incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari will hand over power to a newly-elected leader following his completion of the constitutionally-permitted eight-year term.”
Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who was represented by his special adviser on agriculture, Mike Ogbuekwu, thanked the IGP Alkali for such initiative, adding that it would go a long way in conducting peaceful, free and fair elections.
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