POLICE WILL SEND OUT 40.000 TROOPS FOR BAYELSA GOVERNOR ELECTIONS

Babatunji Wusu –

The Bayelsa State Police Command has said that it will send 40,000 officers to the state’s governorship election on November 11.

The police had originally intended to deploy 27,000 troops for the upcoming governorship election, but due to the recent wave of instability, it had to expand the number to 40,000, according to the state commissioner of police, Mr. Tolani Alausa.

Other security agencies will join the police to offer security for civilians during the state’s election on November 11 in addition to the 40,000 personnel, according to the police commissioner.

On Tuesday, Alausa provided this clarification to a group of female protesters in the state who were being led by Professor Faith Aminikpo, Head of the Department of Theater and Film Studies at the University of Port Harcourt.

Hundreds of women and young people, led by well-known community and civil society leaders, demanded justice for the victims of prior election-related violence in the state during the peaceful rally in Yenagoa, the state capital.

Participants carried banners and placards bearing various slogans, including “Justice for the victims,” “peaceful elections for Bayelsa,” and others.

As preparations for the November elections continue, the women demonstrated on Tuesday against the recent wave of electoral violence in the state.

The Bayelsa police chief responded, saying, “As a leading agency in the security architecture, The police are taking cognizance of your theme, ‘Never Again,’ since it’s appropriate for this reason. We won’t ever see murders committed due of elections again if the political class simply follows the rules of the game. In the most recent election, some police personnel as well as civilians were killed.

“We will take all legal measures at our disposal to safeguard every Bayelsan’s right to cast a ballot in a public place without fear of abuse or harassment.

“Good enough, we have an off-cycle election, and we will have sufficient protection throughout the state. As I previously stated, we were planning to send out 27,000 police officers, but that number has already grown to roughly 40,000 men, including other sister security workers.