Brace Up For 2023 General Elections – IGP Tasks Officers In Ibadan As Police Begins Election Training For Personnel
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Inspector General Of Police, IGP Usman Akali Baba has charged officers of the force to brace up for peaceful conduct of the election.
IGP Alkali Baba gave the charge in Ibadan at the opening of a three day workshop for officers and men of the force in the southwest.
The workshop with the theme “The 2023 general elections: Enhancing national security capacity for a secure and credible electoral process in Nigeria” was the fourth in series of the training for officers across the six geopolitical zones of the country
It was designed to train officers expected to be involved in the planning, coordination and supervision of the forthcoming election.
Represented by the Asst Inspector General of Police, Zone 2, ASP Bode Adeleke, IGP Alkali Baba said officers should be alive to their Roles at ensuring a smooth electioneering process before, during, after the 2023 elections.
IGP Alkali Baba who said the success of any national election was a collective responsibility of all stakeholders, appealed to Nigerians to synergize with INEC and other key players to make the 2023 outing peaceful
Also speaking, Oyo state commissioner of police, CP Williams Adebowale while promising the command’s determination to ensure violent free election in the state, said the state command would take full advantage of the workshop.
CP Adebowale said knowledge impacted during the training would be passed down the ladder to ensure officers on election duties put them to use.
Ealier in an address, facilitator of the workshop, a former Inspector General of Police, Dr Solomon Arase said the capacity building was borne out of the need to intimate officers on the newly passed electoral law.
Dr Arase said the training would take participants through the current state of security and police preparedness for 2023 election, assessment of electoral threat in Nigeria, Inter agency collaboration on election security management, electoral offenses and punishment as well as human rights.
“Before you go for an election you must be knowledgeable enough to know how to relate to the press, your mental health, what are the offenses, by the time we finish training them, they should be able to train others”
The former IGP who said resource persons would be drawn from the academia, legal and public relations , espressed hope that the workshop would deepen the knowledge and operational capacity of the personnel.
In a goodwill message, representative of the Inter-party advisory council, IPAC, Apostle Dare Ojo appealed to police authority to put measures in place that would allow officers to vote during election.
Declaring the workshop opened, Acting governor of Oyo state, Chief Bayo Lawal, represented by the special adviser to the governor on security, Rtd Commissioner of police Fatai Owoseni commended the Nigeria police force for consistently improving on its operations.
