Dogara urges Nigerians to reject candidates who incite violence

• Police deploy six DIGs for election monitoring
• INEC, AIG task officers on democratic policing

Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, yesterday urged Nigerians to reject politicians who engage in hate speech, incite the public and threaten violence in the country, especially during elections.

Dogara, who spoke at a campaign rally in Dull, Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State was reacting to comments by Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-rufai, who threatened that foreigners who interfere in the country’s elections would be given the ‘body bag’ treatment.

Dogara noted that northern Nigeria faces existential threat due to unprecedented violence and killings and urged the people to resist attempts by wicked, unpatriotic and divisive people to incite them against each other.

He said it was time for Nigerians to use the 2019 general elections to reject killings, kidnapping, armed banditry and other sundry crimes that have bedeviled the country, especially the North.

Dogara berated Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, for using the state’s resources to sponsor protests against him in Bauchi, Abuja and Lagos.

Also speaking, Senator Adamu Gumba and Ahmed Yerima urged the people to reject moves by the APC government to use religion to divide them ahead of the elections.

However, Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu has disclosed that all six Deputy Inspector Generals of Police (DIGs), will be deployed to the six geopolitical zones of the country to monitor the elections.

Also, 24 Assistant Inspector Generals of Police (AIGs) will be deployed across the zones, while more tactical personnel will be engaged in addition to regular policing to beef up security on election days.

Adamu spoke in Abuja at the national stakeholders forum organised by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) where he assured of police preparedness to ensure smooth conduct of the polls.

Also speaking, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 12, Bauchi Headquarters, Baba Tijjani, has stressed the need for democratic policing to ensure transparency, accountability and partnership with the people towards a violence-free exercise.

He stated this at a two-day capacity building training programme on democratic policing and elections security management for Bauchi, Yobe and Borno officers, where he assured that the police will ensure the conduct of free, fair, credible and acceptable polls.

Meanwhile, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Ibrahim Abdullahi enjoined the police not wait for ‘orders’ when they see criminality at polling centres.

A resource person at the training, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (rtd.), said the exercise was aimed at focusing on “skills, competency and proper attitude to do your job to satisfaction of members of the public.”