Police committed to addressing security challenges for credible elections in 2023 — IGP

By Abdullahi Kano

The Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, has reiterated the determination of the Nigerian police in managing security challenges that might come up before, during and after the 2023 election.

IGP Usman Baba stated this during the opening ceremony of a workshop on Election Security Management for Police Officers in the North-West zone.

The IGP was represented by the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 1, Mr. Sadiq Bello.

He said the officers would be trained on various techniques of managing security challenges to enable the country to conduct credible elections.

“We are preparing the minds of the police officers to be ready in confronting security challenges that might come up, to ensure a successful election.

“There are a lot of expectations on the police and other security agencies as the election is by the corner.

Earlier the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, said they were confident that the election would hold despite the current security challenges in the country.

“That is why the IGP initiatives should be commended, one aspect we are very concerned about is the new electoral law, 2022.

“We believed that our officers should be conversant with the provisions of these laws.

“And most importantly, on the issue of inter-agency collaboration, it is true that the police is the lead agency, but we work in cooperation with other security agencies.

He said the trainers were expected to step down the training to the police officers and men in their commands.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kano State Council, Mr. Abbas Ibrahim, assured support of the media in ensuring a hitch-free election.

The workshop theme is titled: “The 2023 General Elections: Enhancing National Security Capacity for a Secure and Credible Electoral Process in Nigeria”.

The workshop was organized by the Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with Solar Security and Consult Company limited.