Police to NYSC Corps Members: Don’t aid election riggers.

Police has dished out strong warning to NYSC corp members participating in the September 10, Governorship election in Edo state to stay clear of Election rigging and manipulation of results .

Punch Newspaper reports that the outgoing Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, Chris Ezike, stated this during a VISIT of the Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Sule Kazaure, to Benin, on Monday.

Ezike said, “So, if there are individual offences they commit, they will be answerable for those offences. So, before the election, it is very important that we advise them to be of impeccable behaviour; to be very professional in line with the trainings and skills they have acquired for this job.”

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, had during a visit to the state command disclosed that a total of 23,000 officers would be deployed across the 2,627 polling units for the election.

Ezike, however, noted that adequate arrangements had been made to provide protection for INEC officials.

According to him, such arrangements included the protection of all ‘corpers’ lodges in the state in order to ensure safety before, during and after the poll.

Ezike, who later handed over to the new Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fimihan Adeoye, added, “So everybody, including corps members, must endeavour to be of good behaviour. At the end of the day, it is your name that is important.”

On his part, the NYSC DG, who also met with the 4 Brigade Commander of the Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Benbella Raji,  explained that the visit was aimed at securing an adequate cover for the corps members, who would serve as ad hoc staff.

“So, based on that, I am going round to meet all the critical stakeholders – as far as security is concerned, to solicit their cooperation and ensure the safety of my children, the corps members,” Kazaure said.

He, however, urged the corps members to shun corrupt practices during the electoral exercise.

He warned them to shun financial and other forms of inducement from politicians, and went on to remind them of the need to safeguard their image as well as those of their families and the NYSC.