2015 ELECTION:Soldiers takes over major states in Nigeria...

Tomorrow's presidential and National Assembly elections preparations
heightened across the states and Abuja on Thursday with more sensitive
and non-sensitive electoral materials sent to Local Government Areas
by state offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Some personel also readied for the polls by deploying their men and
officers to the streets and areas considered as flashpoints.

In the FCT , the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba,
announced the redeployment of six Deputy Inspectors-General of Police
and six Commissioners of Police, journalists and election observers
besieged INEC headquarters to collect their accreditation materials.
Some of the journalists whose accreditation kits were not ready as
of Thursday evening, expressed fears that the development could
affect their activities tomorrow.
The INEC management is expected to address a joint press conference
with the authorities of the National Youths Service Corps on Friday
(today).
Security was beefed up at the commission's headquarters with military
personnel, complementing the regular and the riot policemen on guard
on the premises.
Also, security personnel, including soldiers, were seen on patrol and
at checkpoints along the Nyanya- Jikwoyi Road, the Airport Road and
Galadimawa.
Policemen maintained their regular patrol of the Kubwa-Zuba Expressway
and strategic parts of the territory.
There was no part of the city with no policemen or soldiers, who were
heavily armed.
Heavy traffic was noticeable in areas where soldiers set up
checkpoints and searched vehicles with many passengers.
The plight of commuters was worsened by the fuel scarcity, which had
persisted in the FCT for two weeks.
Many vehicles queued at filling stations while commuters, particularly
those plying the Nyanya area struggled to board taxis.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, described the
deployment of policemen and soldiers as routine and part of the
build-up to the elections.
He called on Nigerians to be law-abiding during the elections, adding
that "voters should exercise their civic right and go home and rest."
Ojukwu pledged that the police would be professional and impartial
in the discharge of their duty to ensure that the elections were
credible, free and fair.
He said, "The deployment is routine; it is part of the build-up to the
elections; we are working to ensure that the elections are hitch-free,
fair and credible. We therefore implore Nigerians to support the
police to achieve their mandate. Voters should vote and after voting,
they should go home and rest."
Ojukwu also said in a statement on Thursday that Abba redeployed six
DIGs and five AIGs to coordinate the polls in the six zones of the
country.
The affected DIGs are Dan'Azumi Doma South-East; Mamman Tsafe,
South-South; Hashimu Argungu, South-West; Christopher Katso,
North-West; Hilary Opara, North-East and Adeola Adeniji,
North-Central.
The AIGs are Kalafite Adeyemi, who will serve as assistant
coordinator, South-West; Bala Nasarawa, North-Central; Adisa
Bolanta, North-West; Usman Gwary, Federal Operations , Abuja; and
Mark Idakwo, AIG Zone 9 Umuahia.
The IG also ordered the redeployment of six CP s to various commands
for the period of the elections.
Those affected are Hosea Karma, Rivers State Command; Adamu Mohammed,
Anambra; Dan Bature, Enugu; Usman Abdullahi, Katsina; Jimoh Ozi-Obeh,
Benue and Hyacinth Dagala – CP Department of Operations,FHQ in Abuja.
Abba directed all officers to exhibit the highest level of personal
and professional conduct in the discharge of their duties.
36,204 security agents deployed in Lagos
The Lagos State Police Command said on Thursday that 36,204 security
agents would be involved in the elections.
The CP, Kayode Aderanti, told journalists at a news conference in
Lagos that the number comprised men of the NPF, the Nigerian Army,
the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Department of State
Services , the Nigeria Immigration Service and others.
Aderanti added that 500 patrol vehicles, 100 buses, 100 motorcycles,
seven trucks, three Black Maria trucks, one luxury bus, three Armoured
Personnel Carriers, one in each senatorial zone would also be deployed
in the state.
According to him, five gunboats will man the waters while two
helicopters will be used for aerial surveillance and patrol.
The Lagos CP said movement would be restricted from 6am to 6pm. But
the IG had on Monday said that there would be restriction of movement
from 5am to 5pm.
Aderanti stated, "Parents are warned to speak to their kids and
wards not to be used to perpetrate violence. We're ready to arrest
such persons. 6am to 6pm is the restriction time for movement.
There'll be total lock down. Try and complete your movement before
6am. We however reassure those who are essential workers, that their
security would be guaranteed."
The REC in the state, Akin Orebiyi, also told journalists that
speed and commercial boats as well as canoes were ready to take voting
materials to the riverine parts of the state.
, 9 Brigade, Brig.Gen. A.M. Sabo[commander], while reacting to a
question on whether the army was not flouting a court order by
deploying its men in states, said since the army was specifically
called for a national assignment, it had no choice but to comply.
Bayelsa
In Bayelsa State, Governor Seriake Dickson declared Friday (today) a
work-free day for people who registered in their communities to
travel.
Dickson, in a statement by his media aide, Daniel Iworiso-Markson,
appealed to the people to turn out en masse to cast their votes for
their preferred candidates.
He stated that his government had constituted a special committee to
ensure compliance by all offices in the state except financial
institutions.
Baritor Kpagi,INEC REC said that INEC was ready for the polls as
it had received all necessary materials.
What i can say to you now is that we are prepared for the election
come Saturday; we have received the materials required for the
election on Saturday. That is all I can say for now, " he told
journalists in Yenagoa.
A sourc that visited Otuoke, the home town of President Goodluck
Jonathan saw soldiers and other security operatives at strategic
places awaiting the arrival of Jonathan on Friday (today).
Few hotels in the sleepy community were said to be very active as
some of them were almost fully booked.
Benue
The Benue State REC, Istifanus Dafwang, said to a source in Makurdi
that the distribution of electoral materials, including ballot papers,
to the 23 Local Government Areas of the state started on Wednesday
night and continued on Thursday (yesterday).
Dafwang added that the commission had achieved 84 per cent PVC
collection in the state.
Dafwang also said he did not envisage violence because INEC and
security agencies had worked to ensure that the polls were peacefully
conducted.
Dafwang added. We have Inter-Agency Committee on Election Security,
where all the heads of the security agencies are present. The
situation is under control,
Firstclass newline crew in the state noticed armed policemen
guarding the INEC office ostensibly to protect electoral materials
and ward off potential troublemakers.
Anti-Bomb Squad men used metal detectors to search visitors ,
observers and members of staff of some INEC staff.
Firstclassnewsline.net