THE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested one suspect in Ado Local Government of Ekiti State in connection with vote-buying while another was nabbed in connection with thuggery aimed at disrupting voting at a polling unit. This was made known when Acting Deputy Commandant-General Operations, Haruna Lawal Muhammed, paid a visit to the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) at INEC office in the course of the gubernatorial election monitoring duty in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.
“Two persons have been arrested in Ado Local Government; one in connection with vote-buying while the other was arrested in connection with thuggery to disrupt voting at a polling unit,” according to a statement from Mr. Olusola Odumosu, Director of NSCDC’s Public Relations. He also mentioned that the State REC, Dr. Tella Adeniran Rahmon, praised the NSCDC’s proactive disposition, which led to the overt and covert deployment of personnel to Ekiti State for a smooth gubernatorial election.
Odumosu claims that the REC expressed his admiration for the NSCDC officials’ prompt deployment to polling places that opened early for accreditation. He also praised the corps leadership for organizing a sizable workforce to actively participate in the security training that INEC organized, identifying potential flashpoints that required special attention, among other historic tasks.
On his part, the Ag. DCG operations promised that the corps would keep collaborating closely with INEC and other sister agencies to guarantee a smooth election procedure.
reiterating that the corps was making every effort to secure election observers, permanent and temporary INEC officials, voters, and both sensitive and non-sensitive election materials throughout the state.
“The majority of the polling places we have visited have impressive voter turnout, and reports from other Local Government Areas also indicate that voting is proceeding smoothly concurrently; the NSCDC is fully equipped to safeguard citizens and Critical National Assets; our reserve personnel is ready for any emergency, and our men on the ground will be deployed throughout the night after the polls close to ensure round-the-clock security coverage of the state,” the official stated.
After exercising their right to vote, Muhammad urged the populace to behave in a civil manner and abstain from violence throughout the vote-counting process. The corps had sent intelligence officers to potential hotspots in order to effectively gather intelligence and handle security-related problems.
