Tina Amanda
Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Rivers State Command has deployed two thousand five hundred personnel to beef up security for and after Saturday’s local government chairmanship election in the state.
State Commandant, Muktar Lawal, who stated this while parading thirty-seven suspected Oil thieves at the command, said adequate arrangements have been made to ensure a hitch-free voting exercise.
Commandant Lawal urged all eligible voters to go out freely and peacefully to exercise their voting franchise and avoid every situation that could lead to violence or crisis during the election.
”I wish to inform the general public of the command’s readiness to ensure there is free and fair electioneering process in the state come Saturday 17th April 2021.
“We have made adequate arrangements to ensure the voting exercise goes unhindered as a total of 2500 personnel has been deployed to beef up security during and after the exercise”
The State Commandant urged Rivers people to feel free to go and cast their votes as security operatives on ground will not spare any person or group of persons who may wish to foment any kind of civil unrest during and after the elections.
He said the command is intensifying efforts to secure oil infrastructures, adding that the suspects arrested are currently undergoing investigation.
“The fight against vandalism along the rail tracks and all Oil installations in is ongoing, we will not stop until vandals stay off the critical national assets and infrastructure in the state.
“Today the command is parading thirty-seven suspected oil thieves, thirteen (13) trucks, eighteen drums containing suspected adulterated stolen Petroleum products, one bus, five cars, 1 pumping machine and thirty-seven suspected vandalized railway clips.
“Four suspected railway slippers, a cylinder and a torchlight suspected to be used for act of vandalism were confiscated.
“In the bid to discourage floating of illegal dump in the residential areas of the state, the command also destroyed two suspected illegal dumps. The arrested suspects are currently undergoing investigation before possible prosecution”
“The command has intensified twenty four hours patrol around oil locations and installations as well as rail tracks.
The State Commandant disclosed that measures have been put in place by the command to ensure that herders and farmers go about their business this farming season without possible fear of attacks.
Some of the suspects who spoke to our correspondent in an interview, said they were contracted by a naval officer to secure a vessel only to be apprehended by NNS PATHFINDER and handed over to the Civil Defence Corps.
They disclosed that the naval officer gave them naval uniforms to wear and assured them that seven other naval Officers will join them for the job at the sea.
They narrated that on their way to do the job which is to secure a vessel, they were arrested by naval Officers of NNS PATHFINDER.
