The Nigeria Police Force have revealed that it will deploy X-squad, intelligence officers and investigators during the 2023 general election, to ensure that politicians moving on election days with tonnes of physical cash for vote-buying are apprehended and dealt with according to the provisions of the law.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba, gave the warning at a one-day stakeholders summit on addressing the influence of money in the forthcoming 2023 general election, which was held in Abuja yesterday.
Represented by Assistant Inspector-General (AIG), Bala Ciroma, the IGP also promised to ensure that the use of money to influence next years poll is not allowed, or at most minimised to the barest minimum.
He further said, We will achieve this in synergy with sister security agencies, anti-graft and intelligence agencies and other stakeholders. We have also deployed intelligence officers, who will get embedded in the crowd during political rallies to identify with precision persons encouraging or perpetrating violence.
He explained that the result of this synergy has started yielding positive results, as a lot of arrests have been made especially of persons buying voter registration cards as a prelude to rigging the elections.
Let me state again emphatically that the use of the money during the 2023 elections is unacceptable; and we will do all we can within the confines of the law to bring offending persons to book. Therefore, all hands are on deck; and all the relevant security agencies are in synergy on this. We intend to provide a conducive atmosphere for the conduct of the 2023 elections, he stated.
