Usman Baba, inspector-general of police (IGP), says
separatist groups in the country are working to disrupt the 2023 elections.
Baba, who was represented by Dandaura Mustapha, deputy
inspector-general in charge of operations, spoke on Friday when he appeared
before the house of representatives ad hoc committee investigating attacks on
the facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The police chief said the attacks on the offices of the
electoral body increased after the ban on political campaigns was lifted.
“The Nigeria police, being the lead agency in internal
security and elections generally, is always at the receiving end. Whatever
happens, the police must protect here and there,” he said.
“When INEC finally lifted the ban on campaigns, the campaigns
commenced, and what we realised initially was inter and intra-party disputes.
“We realised that members of political parties were
destroying billboards, posters, campaign offices in some parts of the states.
We quickly alerted the commissioners of police in charge of the commands and
gave them clear directives that it is the right of every political party to go
to all the nooks and crannies of society and campaign.
“It is a constitutional right, so on no account should a
state governor or any state actor prevent political parties from moving about
to do their campaigns.
“We now come to the immediate attack on INEC facilities. Of
recent are the ones that took place in Osun, Ogun, Ebonyi, Imo, and Enugu.
“What we discovered is that — we all know in this country;
it is a well-known fact that in the south-east geo-political zone, we have
issues of secessionists, the IPOB and ESN — these groups are bent on stopping
elections from taking place in the south-east.
“They have been attacking our personnel; they have been
killing our personnel. They have been retrieving arms from members of the
security agencies, not only the police — the military and other paramilitary
organisations that are there.
“They have been doing it, especially now that the ban on
campaigns has been lifted. The election is approaching very fast and they are
putting much pressure to see that this election does not hold in the south-east
political zone.
“In the south-west,
we equally have the pro-Yoruba secessionists that are equally bent on
succeeding and not allowing election to take place in their areas, hence the
attack on INEC in Osun and Ogun of recent.
“There are other ones that are sponsored by politicians and
other stakeholders. There is also an issue of failed and desperate politicians
who are bent on stopping INEC from conducting this election.
“The failed politicians are those who could not come back
(win election) through any political party, and as far as they are concerned,
‘let everything spoil; let everything scatter’.
“They are using that opportunity to sponsor illiterate
followers of the party and hoodlums to make sure that this general election
does not hold and should not be successful.
“On the part of the
desperate politicians, they feel that since they cannot stop INEC from taking
all these measures (to stop election rigging), let them sponsor hoodlums to
make sure that this election should not be a successful exercise.”
Dandaura said the force has been taking measures to prevent
the attacks on INEC offices.
He said the IGP met with political party leaders and INEC
representatives in November, during which it was emphasised that politicians
should caution their supporters to “desist from the hooliganism” of disrupting
the campaigns of their opponents.
He explained that on Tuesday, the IGP also met with the
operational officers of security agencies in Abuja and discussed measures to be
taken to safeguard the facilities of INEC.
He added that the police will double the number of officers
currently protecting INEC facilities nationwide.
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