Illegal armed men ‘overstretched capacity of security agents’ during Kogi, Bayelsa polls

The Police Service Commission (PSC) says security agencies were overstretched as a result of the activities of “illegal armed men” during the November 16 governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states.

There was widespread violence and harassment during the elections in the two states.

In a statement, Ikechukwu Ani, the PSC spokesman, said the actions of the armed men overstretched the capacity of the officers to efficiently protect the electorate.

He said the commission observed the proliferation of illegal weapons, inadequate logistics, among others during the polls.

Ani said despite the challenges, the security agencies were professional in their conduct during the elections.

The commission urged the leadership of the security agencies to “immediately take steps to clean up illegal firearms in order to protect the country’s democracy”.

“The strong monitoring team of the commission to the two states observed the proliferation of illegal weapons, inadequate logistics and challenging terrains as militating factors,” the statement read.

“The commission monitored the conduct of police officers on election duties in Bayelsa and Kogi states on Saturday, November 16th, 2019, and observed that the police were professional in their conduct during the elections, while the activities of illegal armed men overstretched the capacity of these officers to protect the voters and the electoral materials.”