Elections will be peaceful in South-East, says IGP

Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has said general elections will take place in the South-East in 2023 and they shall be peaceful.

He said this on Saturday at the opening of the ‘South-East 2023 Elections Security Management Workshop’ in Enugu.

The IGP, who was represented by AIG Isaac Akinmoyede, said the police was working towards building robust synergy with other security agencies to ensure peaceful elections in 2023.

“We are brainstorming to fashion out ways to deal with existing and emerging security threats headlong within the South-East,” he said.

He also said, “It is clear that with robust synergy, cooperation and joint operations, this area will be the most peaceful and our people will surely come out to exercise their civic responsibility.

“We are working relentlessly on the goal of ensuring that election holds in the South-East and people’s votes are secured and will definitely count.”

This is coming amid threats by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that elections will not hold in the zone.

A former IGP, Solomon Arase, said the workshop was aimed at preparing security agencies and formations in the South-East for the polls.

“Security agencies have gathered here on how to study trends and patterns of crimes before and during elections and how to effectively deal with it in a holistic and collaborative manner,” he said.

Enugu Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Lawal, said the people of South-East would have the opportunity to perform their franchise, urging them not to “entertain any fear.”