26th March, 2015
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
A total of 11, 040 combined personnel of the Police, Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, are to monitor Saturday’s presidential elections in Edo state.
This was made known on Thursday in Benin at a joint press briefing addressed by the State Police Command image maker, DSP Joseph Edoigiawerie, his NSCDC counterpart, Efosa Ogbebor and the State Comptroller of NIS, Alana Olusegun.
The police image maker disclosed that about 7, 800 officers will be deployed to the 18 local government areas in the state, while the NIS Comptroller also disclosed that the agency will deploy a total of 240 personnel out of which 28 officers will be from the Zonal Command, 120 from the 18 local government areas while others would be deployed from the state’s command headquarters.
On his part, Efosa Ogbebor of the NSCDC who said a total of 3000 officers of the state command are expected to participate in the monitoring of the elections across the state, added that armed squad personnel of the agency would be on patrol in the three senatorial district of the state, pointing out that an officer will be detailed to man a polling unit in the state.
He said the duty of the agency was to protect electoral materials as well as to complement the efforts of the sister security agencies.
Also speaking, the Public Relations Officer of Zone G headquarters of NSCDC, Oaihimire Irabor, said the Zone was yet to receive the number of personnel to be deployed for the elections exercise.
He however appealed to electorate to cooperate with all the security agencies for a violent-free elections.
Meanwhile, the state office of the Nigerian Red Cross Society said it will be deploying about 150 of its men for the elections across the state.
Secretary to the State Director of Red Cross, Dan-Ehremwen Enowoghomwenma, who announced this in Benin, said the officers will only be deployed to identify volatile polling units.
He added that the body is partnering with the state ministry of health and some private health centres for the provision of medical facilities assistance like ambulances, health personnel among others.
He said patrol team will be on duty for emergency operations, noting that the body need not less than two ambulances just as he said the already one ambulance while some of the officers have volunteered to put their personal vehicle on the road on the day of the elections.