By Evelyn Usman
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, CP Olohundare Moshood, has deployed all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers DPOs, Mobile Police Force units, and tactical teams to secure election collation centres across the 57 local government areas of the state, in a bid to prevent any untoward incidents during the final phase of the local government elections.
This is as the CP declared the elections largely peaceful, with no incidents of violence recorded despite the notably low turnout observed at most polling units across the state.
To complement land-based security efforts, CP Moshood disclosed that 16 gunboats were also deployed to riverine communities in Ikorodu, Epe, Badagry, and other coastal areas of the state to monitor activities along Lagos’ waterways.
The CP made this known at the Command Headquarters, after concluding an on-the-spot assessment tour of polling units in Surulere, Festac Town, Mushin, Ijanikin, Amuwo Odofin, Okota, Ketu, Ikorodu, and Berger.
During a stop at Berger, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at about 2:47 p.m., there was a long queue of vehicles attempting to enter the state, as the road was barricaded at the Lagos end by policemen enforcing the 12-hour restriction on vehicular movement.
The CP stated that, with the lifting of the restriction by 3:00 p.m., aggressive police patrols would commence across different areas of the state to deter anyone from exploiting perceived security gaps.
Attributing the calm and orderliness to meticulous planning, CP Moshood said: “My assessment of the security situation shows that the deployment was perfect. This did not happen by chance; it was the result of adequate planning. The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, provided the support we needed, and we are seeing the results now.
“As I speak with you, there has been no report of violence across the entire state. We covered Mushin, Festac, Surulere, Ijanikin, and even areas earlier identified as potential flashpoints, all remained peaceful. There has not been a single flash of threat or any incident capable of disrupting the system, even in the riverine areas. Lagosians came out to vote, and we were proud to secure that environment.
He continued: “I want to commend all our officers for their sacrifice and commitment. We also appreciate the mobile police units and officers sent from about seven states who joined us to ensure this success.”
CP Moshood also praised Lagosians for their high level of compliance with the temporary vehicular movement restriction, noting that no arrests were made for violations.
“Lagos is the Centre of Excellence, and our people demonstrated that excellence. The level of compliance was very high. As of now, nobody has been arrested or detained for violating the movement restriction,” he added.
Post-election security tightened
On post-election operations, the Commissioner assured that security would remain tight through the collation and result announcement phases.
He said: “Our collation process is ongoing, and we have deployed adequate personnel to all 57 local government collation centres. Police officers, including mobile units, are on ground to escort electoral officials and materials safely”.
He warned against any attempt to incite unrest, informing that “We know that after results are announced, there will be jubilation and, possibly, agitation. But we will not allow anyone to blackmail the process or disturb public peace in any part of the state. We are good to go.”
Low voter turnout
Earlier in the day, most polling units across Jakande Estate in Oke-Afa and Ago-Okota areas of Lagos stood eerily empty during the elections. Units 003, 005, 007, 008, 009, and 012 recorded fewer than 40 votes between 9:00 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
Sunday Vanguard observed near-deserted scenes, a stark contrast to previous elections that saw long queues spilling into the streets.
At Unit 012, only 28 voters had cast ballots by noon in Jakande Estate, while presiding officers at Unit 007 reported just 19. At Unit 008, only two voters arrived during a 90-minute window, while youths were seen playing football on nearby roads.
Unarmed policemen stationed at the units stood idle, with no security threats reported amid the overwhelming voter absence.
While most polling units were functional, LASIEC officials were conspicuously absent at Polling Unit 014, located on 21 Road, Second Avenue, Festac Town, as of 11:30 a.m., leaving several voters stranded as the unit remained unmanned.
Cause of low turnout – residents speak
Most residents were observed watching apathetically from apartment windows or lounging in front of their homes, uninterested in the ongoing election.
Some of those who spoke with Sunday Vanguard attributed their non-participation to a lack of faith in the credibility of the process.
Godfrey Johnson, 54, said, “Of what importance is our participation when our votes will not count? We have lost confidence in LASIEC’s ability to deliver credible elections. Until we get it right, this will be the outcome.”
His sentiments were echoed by others who questioned the transparency of the electoral process, despite repeated assurances from state authorities.
Another resident, Taofeek Sumonu, 41, remarked, “This is not new. It is evident in most local government elections. People are waiting for the governorship and presidential polls.”
The post LG polls: Lagos CP deploys Area Commanders, others to fortify collation appeared first on Vanguard News.