LG Election: A-Ibom Police Command deploys 15, 000 personnel; Charges Ukanafun, Etim-Ekpo people to expose criminal elements among them

Akwa Ibom State Police Command has said, it would deploy 15, 000 police personnel to cover the local government election coming up in the state on Saturday December 2, 2017.
Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Bala Elkana made this known in Uyo on Thursday in an interview with newsmen.
He said, though two unarmed policemen would be attached to a voting unit, they would be complemented with armed personnel at designated points within the area to avert rancour and disruptions of the exercise.
According to him, “we on our part have identified all the polling units with the support of the electoral body. We got the list of all polling units and collation centres.
“We have designed the numbers of policemen to cover election in each of those areas. We are deploying over 15,000 police personnel for that election and every polling unit will have a minimum of two policemen covering it.
“These policemen covering those units will go without arms because, we need to give the people full essence of their participation.
“Carrying weapons sometimes frightens voters. So, they will go in there to secure the boxes and also the people. That does not mean that, we don’t have armed men, we have our special forces strategically located in all the areas of the state, and they will be on patrol in case there is an emergency call from any of the polling units and they will move in quickly to arrest the situation’’.
The PPRO also maintained that, the police would be standby ready to avert any unforeseen circumstances that would arise from the announcement of election results adding that, ‘‘we have map out strategies, our anti-riot units are well briefed and will be well positioned in case, there is any issue coming up from the announcement of results, they will also come in to tackle it’’.
He warned the people to stay away from trouble during the exercise stating that, people should take advantage of the laid down procedures for the election to channel their grievances if they feel dissatisfied from the outcome of the election by going to the tribunal.
DSP Elkana, however advised the residents of the state to be orderly during and after the election as police have the capacity to deal with anybody who will foment trouble.
Meanwhile, the Police Command has appealed to the people of Ukanafun and Etim Ekpo Local Government Areas of the state to assist the security agencies in combating the rising wave of criminality in the areas.
The call is coming on the heels of a sustained politically motivated killings by killer squad in the two Local Government Areas this year, where about 40 people have been killed.
He said, the criminal elements causing killings in the two Local Government Areas are indigenes of the areas noting that, failure to expose them was not in the best interest of the affected communities and the state government, as such people will continue to terrorize innocent citizens and may cause mayhem in those communities.
The Police Spokesman said, the Command has extended its dragnets to the neighbouring states to track down the perpetrators of the crimes in Ukanafun and Etim Ekpo Local Government Areas in its wanted list.