2019 Elections: IGP Holds Strategy Sessions with DCPs & Squadron Commanders

BY DAMOLA EMMANUEL

A day after the Police Service Commission constituted his management, approving the appointment of eight Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, DIGs, the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, and his new team met with Squaron Commanders at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

The meeting was held, Wednesday, at the Conference Hall of Louis Edet House, came on the heels of a similar one with Deputy Commissioners of Police in the charge of operations across country on Tuesday.

The sessions, according to the IGP, were “part of efforts to perfect the election security management plans of the Nigeria Police.”

In his address to the Squadron Commanders, Adamu said the meeting “will create a forum for the Force leadership to interact with all the Squadron Commanders of the 68 Police Mobile Force Squadrons in the Force towards clearly defining their roles, emphasising their Standard Operating Procedure that will regulate their operations during the exercise.

“The meeting,” the IGP continued, “will also engage them on efforts by the Force leadership to address challenges and other operational gaps that could be of concern to them as they prepare to deploy for the general elections.”

“As you are aware,” said Adamu, “the mandate of the Police Mobile Force, as prescribed in Section 25 of the Police Act Cap 359, Laws of the Federation 1990, is to act as a strike Force that can rapidly be deployed as a cohesive specialized Police component to complement the conventional Police detachments in performing critical internal security assignments.

“They could also be deployed to support the Military in national security operations. It is within this context, that the Police Mobile Force are currently actively involved in the counter-terrorism campaign in the North East and other special operations along with the military in other parts of the country.

“In line with its mandate, and in relation to the election security plans, the Police Mobile Force will be deployed to provide robust protection for local and international election observers, INEC Officials and sensitive electoral materials as well as critical national infrastructures. They shall also be engaged in supporting the other arms of the Force in undertaking intelligence-led operations in areas identified as high risk in the threat analysis report.

“Furthermore, the Police Mobile Units shall be located at strategic places across the country to respond swiftly to any security threat, while also undertaking street patrols to deter criminal acts in the course of the elections. Details of this deployments shall form part of our discussion during this conference.”

The IGP, however, assured Nigerians and the international community that the Police Mobile Officers to be deployed on the election security operations “have been adequately exposed to tailor-made professional trainings towards ensuring that they undertake their duties in the most civil manner while not losing their operational potency in the event of any threat.”

Adamu didn’t end the address without a strident call on the country’s political parties and political gladiators to keep the peace and avoid any security breach.

He declared: “As we firm up our operational plans, I once again call on political actors and the electorates to place national security interest above their personal interests and be guided by the overriding obligation to situate all their actions within extant rules.

“The Police under my watch are firmly committed to ensuring a robust election security management that will guarantee a conducive environment for citizens to freely exercise their electoral franchise. Nonetheless, we are fully prepared to deploy our uniquely potent assets to deal decisively with any individual or group that may attempt to threaten our internal security interests before, during or after the general elections.”