Bayelsa politicians using fake law enforcement agents, says DIG
Bayelsa politicians using fake law enforcement agents, says DIG
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police supervising South-South Sone, Daniel Sokari-Pedro, on Friday, said intelligence report indicated that some politicians in Bayelsa State are using fake security personnel as the governorship election takes place on Saturday.
He warned politicians against utterances capable of increasing tension hours before the conduct of the polls across the eight local government areas of the state.
Sokari-Pedro, who is in charge of Election Management Security in the 2023 Bayelsa governorship polls, stated these during a press conference at the Police Officers’ Mess in Yenagoa.
He spoke against what he termed ‘preelection complaints’ being made by some politicians who were condemning the preparation of the police for the electoral process.
He threatened that the police would deal with any politicians who had procured the services of fake or real law enforcement agents for the election.
The DIG said, “It has come to my notice that politicians have been using some fake law enforcement agents. I want to assure you that whether such law enforcement agents are fake or real if they are arrested, they are in serious trouble.
“They will blame the day they were born into this world. I assure them so. Whether they are real or they are fake is not the issue, the issue is that they are disturbing the electoral process and we will not allow it.”
He also said that politicians were trying to worsen the already charged atmosphere with inflammatory comments, and urged them to allow peace to reign in the state.
Sokari-Pedro, while advising them to tread with caution, said, “Let me sound this loud and clear that there is no place under the sun where election takes place that there will not be complaints.
“But these preselection complaints should not be used as a gauge to judge the police preparedness, and that should not in any way vitiate the election which has not taken place. Whenever such complaints come we will surely investigate them.
“I want to appeal to politicians from all divides that they should stop condemning the police when the election has not even taken place. And again, politicians are charging the already tensed atmosphere by making inflammatory statements; statements ordinarily which, if not because of the election, would have been turned to have security implications.
“But when police will go and get somebody arrested for making such statements, they will say police is taking sides. So I want everybody to tread with caution. The election is just a few hours away. Therefore, we should give peace a chance and ensure that we do not make inflammatory statements.”
The DIG also stated that he was not aware of Friday’s reported violent clash between supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress at the Twon-Brass jetty in Brass LGA over where electoral materials meant for voting in the area would be kept.
He, however, announced two control room numbers: 07034578208, 09167322691, for the public to lodge complaints.
When asked if the Commissioner of Police, Tolani Alausa, had been redeployed following Thursday’s protest by some women, who marched to the state police headquarters demanding his (Alausa’s) removal, Sokari-Pedro said Alausa was posted to Bayelsa to work and he is also the CP Election.
“If there is to be any redeployment, it will be done by the IG, not me. I don’t have the power to redeploy anybody. So he (Alausa) stays here”, he said.
Recall that Sokari-Pedro had on Thursday disclosed that although Bayelsa is peaceful, the three senatorial districts of the state, election-wise, are politically volatile.
He equally said the police had identified five local government areas namely, Nembe, Brass, Southern Ijaw, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Sagbama, as violence-prone council areas.
