March 18: Police warn election troublemakers in Kano State

By Aminu Garko

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of Northwest, Mr Hafiz Inuwa, has warned elements planning to perpetrate violence during Saturday’s governorship and Assembly elections in Kano State of harsh actions.

Inuwa told newsmen in Kano that the police and other security agencies are ready to deal ruthlessly with any person or group of people found  formenting trouble during or after the polls.

He declared that: “We (Police) belong to everybody and we belong to nobody; if you disobey the rule, we will certainly deal with you.

“Whoever try to test our collective responsibilities, we are ever ready to deal ruthlessly with whoever tried to forment trouble.

”We have a clear mandate that President Muhammadu Buhari had spoken in clear terms and the IG-P had equally spoke in clear terms.

“And I am going to repeat it to officers and men that anybody who tried to come out with a view to cause havoc, disenfranchise the law abiding citizens, will know the consequences.”

He stressed that: “We are not going to mince words or our actions to deal with such people who do not mean well for this country.

“We want to surprise everybody not to determine, which way the police would go.

“What is in the mind of the IG-P is the issue of peace and tranquility to reign on the successful conduct of free, fair and credible election.”

“That is what informed the general postings and deployment of police personnel from across the nation.

“We keep informing our personnel what is enshrined in the constitution on series of offences in the Electoral Laws during and after the election, and what is expected of them.

“We have retrained our personnel all along, and the IG-P had spent huge sums of money on this exercise, all in an effort to ensure that peace reigns in the country,” Inuwa said.

The DIG however commended newsmen for a job well done during the Feb. 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

“I am happy with a lot of your reports in commending the efforts of the Nigeria Police and on the ways and manner the security operatives handled the last Presidential and National Assembly elections.

“My coming this time around is to equally talk to our officers, that we must be firm, focused and professional in the  discharge our duties.

“Like always, we maintain that the police remained apolitical,” he said.

(NAN)