The Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Sotonye Wakama has again read the riot act to politicians in Rivers State ahead of the re-run legislative elections on Saturday.
DIG Wakama at a meeting with politicians, party candidates, stakeholders and other security Chiefs in Rivers State said he was in the state to give a stern warning to politicians and not to monitor elections.
He said the Federal government was extremely embittered about the killings in Rivers State, adding that the state had been pegged as a security risk.
Wakama said all necessary force would be deployed to ensure that the elections were peaceful.
He disclosed that helicopters, gunboats and other necessary security machinery would be deployed into the state from tomorrow, Thursday.
He also informed the politicians that suspects in connection with the killings were still being arrested and that the arrest would continue until all the trouble makers were taken off the scene.
“16 Mobile Police Units fully armed to the teeth will be deployed. If volatility comes, we are going to stretch the law to its full elasticity. If it is going to require us to use a mortar pestle to kill a mosquito, we are going to do it. We will bring every errant person to book.
“We are not here to plead. We are not here to beg, we are not here to beseach or implore. We are going to approach every situation with the full wrath of the law.
“We have information that some cult groups, gang groups and militants have infilterated the town to unleash mayhem on Saturday. We know some of them have been put-up in their hotels in Port Harcourt.
“More importantly, we are aware of some of the sponsors of these cult groups. People buy and pay for violence and those who indulge in this have been noticed. As from tomorrow, you’ll see some people will be lost”, he warned.
Expectedly, the two main political parties at the meeting did not fail to point accusing fingers on each other.
The State Chairman of the APC, Davies Ibyamu Ikanya appealed to the security agencies to stand by their promise to provide adequate security for voters, while the candidate of the APC for the Rivers South-East Senatorial election, Magnus Abe said the security agencies should arresting the perpetrators of the killings in Rivers State.
On his part, the candidate of the PDP for the Rivers East Senatorial election, George Sekibo, who spoke on behalf of the PDP insisted that the APC had concluded plans to rig the elections.
Sekibo also argued that the list of the returning officers and adhoc staff had been doctored.
However, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Aniedi Ikoiwak took exceptions to the allegations that the list of INEC workers had been doctored.
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