IGP: Police performance has improved — we’re working to ensure successful 2023 polls

Usman Baba, inspector-general of police (IGP), says the performance of the police during the recent election in Ekiti shows that the force has improved.

The IGP, who was represented by Sadiq Bello, assistant inspector-general of police in charge of zone 1, said this on Wednesday in Kano at a workshop themed ‘The 2023 General Election: Enhancing National Security Capacity For a Secure and Credible Electoral Process in Nigeria’.

The workshop was organised by the police in collaboration with Solar Security and Consult Company Limited.

The IGP said the participants of the workshop would be trained on different strategies of managing security challenges during elections.

“We are preparing the minds of the police officers to be ready in confronting security challenges that might come up, so as to ensure a successful election,” NAN quoted him as saying.

“There are a lot of expectations on the police and other security agencies as the election is by the corner.

“Performance of the police has improved. You will believe me that based on the recent election conducted in Ekiti state, there is hope for the country.”

In his remarks, Solomon Arase, a former IGP, said there is a need for police officers to have an understanding of the Electoral Act, 2022.

“We believe that our officers should be conversant with the provisions of these laws, and most importantly, on the issue of inter-agency collaboration,” he said.

“It is true that the police is the lead agency, but we work in cooperation with other security agencies. We want to develop a template, where our working arrangement will be seamless.”