The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba Alkali has revealed the characters behind the perennial attacks on offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He revealed that some desperate politicians and secessionist groups in the South East and South West are behind the attacks on INEC offices
IGP made the revelation at the commencement of an investigative hearing of the House Ad-hoc Committee of the House of Representatives probing the attacks on offices and the facilities of INEC on Friday in Abuja.
Represented by the DIG in charge of Department of Operations, Dandaura Mustapha, the IGP said, “The Nigeria police being the lead agency in internal security and elections generally is always at the receiving end. Whatever happens — it is duty of the police to protect here and there.
“What we discovered is that — we all know in this country, it is a well know fact that in the south-east geo-political zone we have issues of secessionists — the IPOB and ESN. These groups are bent on stopping elections from taking place in the south-east.
“They have been attacking our personnel, they have been killing our personnel. They have have been retrieving arms from members of the security agencies, not only the police — the military and other paramilitary organisations that are there.
“They have been doing it, especially now that the embargo on campaigns have been lifted. The election is approaching very fast and they are putting much pressure to see that this election do not hold in the south-east political zone.
“In the south-west, we equally have the pro-Yoruba secessionists that are equally bent on succeeding and not allowing election to take place in their areas, hence the attack on INEC in Osun and Ogun of recent. Those ones are there too sponsored by politicians and other stakeholders.
“There is also an issue of failed and desperate politicians who are bent on stopping INEC from conducting this election. The failed politicians are those who could not come back through any political parties, and as far as they are concerned, let everything spoil, let everything scatter. They are using that opportunity so sponsor illiterate followers of the party and hoodlums to make sure that this general election do not hold and should not be successful.
“On the part of the desperate politicians, they feel that since they cannot stop from taking all these measures (to stop election reffing) let them sponsor hoodlums to make sure that this election should not be a successful exercise.
“All these issues, we have gotten them and we have sat with the state commissioner of police and the action taken by the IGP. On the 17th on November, the IGP held a meeting with political parties leaders, INEC representatives were there. We discussed in length that all political parties are free to go about their campaigns in all the states and they should talk and work on their followers to desist from this hooliganism”