Ahead of the March 9 governorship and state Houses of Assembly polls, security will be tightened across the country, with increased deployment of personnel in potentially volatile states. This decision was taken at a closed-door meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and Service Chiefs in Abuja.
The security chiefs at the meeting were the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok-Ete Ibas; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar.
The attendees also included the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.); Director-General, National Intelligence Agency; Ahmed Rufai-Abubakar; Director-General, Department of State Services; Yusuf Magaji-Bichi; and the acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu and among others.
The acting IG, Mohammed Adamu, who spoke with State House correspondents after the meeting, said some states in the Niger Delta Region would be watched, while additional personnel would be deployed there. He said Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom states, as well as other locations would receive more personnel.
Adamu said that they are all aware of the fact that we just concluded the Presidential and National Assembly elections and we want to congratulate Nigerians for the peaceful conduct of the elections. We are prepared now for the governorship and the Houses of Assembly elections in the country. The IG warned ballot box snatchers to find another job on March 9, as the security agencies would deal ruthlessly with them.
