Ahead of the general elections, Inspector General of Police Usman Baba has established an Election Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Team that will be deployed across all states of the federation. The team’s mandate is to identify, analyse, and mitigate threats, as well as to conduct on‑the‑spot assessments and appraisals of security arrangements ahead of the 2023 general elections.
According to a press release issued on Wednesday and shared on the official Facebook page of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the creation of the team aligns with the IGP’s drive for safe, secure, and credible elections, ensuring adequate security coverage before, during, and after the polls. The statement, signed by the Force’s Public Relations Officer CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, announced the appointment of Vice President (INTERPOL) and Head of the National Crime Bureau, AIG Garba Umar, psc, as the National Coordinator. He will be assisted by AIG Force Secretary AIG Habu Sani, CP Election Monitoring CP Basil Idegwu, and the Force Public Relations Officer CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi. The team also includes seven Commissioners of Police, fifteen Deputy Commissioners of Police, thirty Assistant Commissioners of Police, thirty Chief Superintendents of Police, and sixteen strategic officers of other ranks.
The release states that the IGP, while reiterating the police’s commitment to ensuring elections are safe, secure, credible, and in line with global best practices, has tasked the team to ensure proper deployments, provide real‑time coverage of the electoral process, and safeguard against hostile external and internal influences using INTERPOL, anti‑cybercrime, and intelligence tools and assets of the Nigeria Police Force.
In the same vein, the IGP reaffirmed the establishment and viability of Electoral Offences Desks located within the State Criminal Investigation Departments (SCID) of all commands nationwide, each headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police. These desks are responsible for collating, investigating, and prosecuting all matters related to electoral offences across the country.
Finally, the Inspector‑General of Police called on well‑meaning Nigerians, the international community, and all stakeholders to support NPF teams—particularly through intelligence sharing and regular engagement—to ensure the success of the 2023 General Election.
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