By Okey Maduforo Awka.
Ahead of the conduct of November 8th gubernatorial election in Anambra state, the security operatives along with the NIgerian Police shall be monitoring activities with the use of drones.
Similarly the officers and men of the Command have been warned not to be bias during the process as the Inspector General of Police have announced that any personnel found wanting would face the full wrath of the law.
According to Police Commissioner Ikioye Orutugu while on an Election Sensitization Tour of the Police formations in the area at Nnewi Area Command , the Police is not interested in who wins the election but interested in the peaceful and transparent conduct of the coming election.
“The police is not interested in which the candidates that would win the election or which of the political parties that would emerge as the winner ”
“The police is totally neutral in this election and I wish to warm officers and men of the Command to discharge their duties without bias of sympathy for any candidate of political party ”
Continuing Orutugu announced that during the election, there shall be the use of drones to monitor the election process.
“We have perfected plans to use drones to monitor every polling units or electoral wards up to the collation centers and in compliance to the directive of the Inspector General of Police, there shall be zero tolerance to any act that may detail or compromise the process and any one found wanting would surely face the full weight of the law ”
Orutugu also remarked that during the election, only security personnels accredited and authorized by law shall take charge of security formations in the entire state adding that operatives that were not deployed to monitor the election has no business on the said day.
“We test ran the election with the conduct of the bye elections in Anambra South Senatorial District and Onitsha North 1 Constituency and the Command was not found wanting and the Command commends officers and men that worked on that day and it is my strong belief that we shall do better this time ”
The Commissioner also commended the personnel of Agunechemba Security Squad for their contributions and synagy between it and the conventional security bodies towards fighting insecurity in the urging them to continue in that stead.
“I am a strong believer and proponent of Community Policing and that can be achieved through engaging the local vigilante groups in our towns and villages and that is where the Agunechemba Security comes in and so far they have been working in synagy with the police and other sister organizations in the state ” he said.
Speaking earlier the Nnewi Area Commander, ACP Augustine Oyamiele announced that the affected Police Divisions under his Command attacked during the Ends SARS protest have been rebuilt adding that they are all operational.
He however lamented the inadequatcy of operational vehicles for the discharge of their duties noting that this challenge has grossly affected policing in the area.
“The aftermath of the ENDSARS protest had a negative impact on police operations Nationwide, Ours here is particularly pitiable ”
“All the Police Stations in the Area Command was totally burnt down and two particularly burnt .This Area Command headquarters was totally burnt down and officers properties were stolen and same goes for the police stations”
“I am happy sir to inform you that these stations have been re- built by individuals within the Area Command and letters of appreciation have been written to the individuals by past Commissioner of Police ”
Similarly the Police Community Relations Committee Chairman Hon Amaobi Okonkwo expressed satisfaction over the relationship between the Area Command and the body and by extension the general public promising to sustain it .
The President General of Nnewichi Village in Nnewi North local government area Engr Sir Emma Chukwueloka affirmed that Nnewi people are peace loving as well as law abiding adding that the Town had remain firm in assisting Police and other agencies in fighting insecurity in the area.
