2023 Election: Police to deploy 310, 973 personnel

The Nigeria Police Force announced on Thursday in Abuja that it would send 310,973 of its personnel to the more than 176,846 polling places across the country for the presidential election, which will take place on February 25. The election is about one week away.

According to the statement, the squad would be made up of regular police officers and females, mobile police, a special counterterrorism unit, Special Forces, an intelligence response team, and other police divisions.

The National Security and Civil Defense Corps, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Correctional Service, the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, and 350 members of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will all add to this number, according to the Force. In addition, 51,000 additional personnel from these organizations will be added.

This information was disclosed by the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, at the 66th State House Ministerial Briefing, which was held at the Aso Rock Mansion in Abuja and was put on by the Presidential Communications Team.

According to him, “There exist 176,846 polling units in 8,809 wards of the 36 states of the Federation and FCT where the elections will be conducted.

“The Nigeria police, with the support of other security agencies, has perfected plans to deploy in a coordinated and collaborative manner to cover all these locations.

“In view of the above, the Nigeria police will deploy 310,973 personnel for the election security operations. This will comprise of conventional policemen, the mobile policemen, the special counter-terrorism unit, in Special Forces, the intelligence response team and other sections of the police.”

The police chief stated that the deployment would cover all collation centers countrywide, including the National Collation Center in Abuja.

The military and other security services will, however, supplement the personnel needed for this exercise.

“Aside from the military and the DSS, other security agencies will contribute 93,495 personnel for the election security operations.

“These include the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense who will deploy through the police 51,000 personnel, the Federal Road Safety Corps, 21,000, the Nigeria Correctional Service, 11,336, the national drug law enforcement agency, 9447, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission 350.”

With a total of 404,106 employees, Baba stated that a minimum of two people from each of these organizations would be jointly deployed to staff every polling place nationwide, while armed personnel would be responsible for securing public areas, the INEC's facilities, vulnerable locations, and border regions.

The IGP continued, "They will also perform armed escort duties for INEC personnel supplies and local and foreign observers."

In addition to shutting access and departure ports to various states and local administrations, he said that the military would offer armed protection to crucial national assets and restrict movement.

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