The Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Isaac Akinmoyede, on Saturday said the Command restricted movement in the entire state during the ongoing supplementary election in the state because it received security reports that some people were bent on causing trouble at polling units where elections are being held cutting across nine local government areas of the state.
Akinmoyede disclosed this when he spoke with journalists at Plateau Hotel Junction Polling Unit (018) in Jos North LGA, where 853 registered voters are expected to vote.
He said, “We have security reports that some people are hell- bent on causing trouble at those few places elections are taking place.
“So it is better for us to sacrifice today and get what we want, than for us to say people should continue to move out.
According to him, if people are allowed to move about, some of them might decide to move from where polls are not taking place to where elections are being held and cause problem, “we don’t want that.
“Because of the security reports, it behoves on us to take the right decision than to allow things to happen before we start running helter-skelter.
On the heavy presence of security operatives around polling units, the CP said, “The security are here to ensure that everything is done in an orderly manner; and they are here to give confidence to people that they should come out and vote, they are symbols of authority and they should be respected.
“People should not have any reason to fear in coming out to vote, and that is why we are providing the conducive atmosphere, is in the INEC guidelines.
He said the security operatives are not partisan and wouldn’t be, adding that people have been commending them through the elections in the state.
“All the security operatives are doing is also watching to see people that with come out to cause problem and initiate arrest if need be, they are not in anyway to interfere in the conduct of the polls.
He, however, said, based on the reports he has received and areas he has visited, everything is going on peacefully, “and we hope that it will be peaceful till the end”.
Meantime, election at the aforementioned polling unit and many others where elections are being held commenced in good time, while the voter turnout is said to be encouraging in some of the polling units.
According to the Presiding Officer of unit 018, David Terfa, they have not had any challenge with the card reader, and everything is moving smoothly.
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