….How IGP Ringim monitored elections on the air

By Emma Nnadozie, Crime Editor

Policemen on election duty.

In the past, tales of election manipulation and rigging did not end well without Nigerians bemoaning the active participation, connivance and involvement of some members of the Nigerian Police Force. In fact, the despicable activities of some of them was so pronounced to the extent that people called for their exclusion in any election in the country. The situation was that bad until pronouncements from both the newly appointed Chairman of Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega and the Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, tried to re-assure the world that it will not be the same, this time around.

The Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim gave a firm promise that his men would perform creditably well and without bias to any political party during the elections. Though sceptics doubted his sincerity in this regard, it was like every body waited anxiously to see how they would fare in the elections.

Surprisingly, the Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim set the ball rolling by packaging a national conference aimed at inviting all stakeholders in the future of Nigeria to sit down and discuss how to perfect a free, fair and violence-free elections. The conference, first of its kind, which was also facilitated by Vanguard newspapers, was to hold in all the geo-political zones in the country where the message would be exhaustively discussed and far-reaching decisions taken towards creating an enabling, peaceful environment for a free and fair election in the country. Unfortunately, it was held only in one of the zones but with tremendous and remarkable results recorded. This was attested to by the large number of stakeholders, politicians, and activists, among others, that attended the two-day conference which ended with a communique denouncing violence in it’s entirety and calling on all stakeholders to wake up to their responsibility with a view to ensuring that 2011 elections will stand out in the history of Nigeria as the best ever.

Aside this, the Inspector-General of Police championed the coming together of all those involved in the security of the country to collaborate in the performance of their duties during and after the elections. Remarkably, he hosted both members of the State Security Service, Armed Forces and even the Civil Defense Corps and their discussions and resolutions centered on partnering for effective coverage and monitoring of the task ahead. As if their efforts would not yield fruitful results, terrorists chose the peak of their meeting to pounce on different locations in the country by throwing bombs which claimed many innocent lives and properties. That turned out to be a kind of wake up call to all concerned that the pro-active efforts by the Inspector-General of Police was worth all the efforts and should be vigorously pursued.

That notwithstanding, IGP Ringim came out with a shocker, just at the eve of the elections. In a dramatic move reminiscent of the days of our famed Maradona, he rotated all the Commissioners of Police serving in different states of the federation. This deft move put paid to insinuations by some people that some of the Commissioners have been compromised by the politicians in their respective states towards assisting them to victory. He went further to also re-assign all his Deputies to inspect their men wherever they are and ensure that they delivered the good. Another commendable move embarked upon by the Police boss was the curfew imposed on those not involved on essential duties during the period of the elections. Far from expectations from those hatching plans to carry out criminal activities geared towards boosting their nefarious political chances on the eve of the elections, Hafiz Ringim dashed their hopes by extending the curfew to almost 24 hours before the election proper. Though, this move rattled many who considered the 10pm curfew, starting from a day before each of the elections, as being overbearing and overzealous by the Police boss, they nevertheless failed to read the handwriting on the wall. They did not know that Police authorities were acting on security reports revealing plans by criminals to transport both dangerous weapons and fake electoral materials to different locations across the country preparatory to wrecking havoc during the elections. The extension of the curfew thwarted their efforts as they could not move freely during the period. Even the announcement on the use of cell phones and other gadgets were discreet security moves aimed at nipping in the bud, plans by ingenious fellows to cause mayhem during the elections.

Then, on the D-day, few Nigerians knew that the Inspector-General of Police was personally monitoring the performance of his men on the air. He was using the Police chopper to hover around all the strategic locations in the country while also communicating with his men on the ground.

Crime Alert spoke with some Nigerians on their assessment of the security situations during the elections held so far. The Chief Executive officer of F$B Oil and Gas in Apapa, Lagos, Chief Fabian Obi said praises should not only go to INEC boss, Jega but to the Police boss, Ringim . According to him; For the first time in the history of Nigeria, security agencies especially the much derided Police force, lived up to expectations. They provided enough security and that ensured that the exercise turned out to be free of violence. The very few attempts aimed at violating the peace were checked. I think Hafiz Ringim made judicious use of the money provided by the Federal Government in making the morale of his men to be high and that must account for their dedication and commitment to the work at hand. In all, we have not had it so good from the Police and they all should be commended and reminded that they should not relent in the subsequent election”.

Chief Fabian Obi and Hafiz Ringimm, IGP

An Apapa-based business man, Alhaji Suleiman Audu told Crime Alert also that the Police and other security agencies should be commended for doing a good job this time around. “That IGP must be a magician. The way he galvanized his men and made them perform positive roles during the elections held so far deserves praises. For the first time in elections, I saw unarmed policemen being courteous and gentle to voters. They were very firm when it comes to righting wrongs by some people and the way they carried themselves showed they were not biased against any political party. We should give thumbs up to their “Oga” who made this possible not just singing the name Jega”. Dr. Babatunde Owolabi of Life Fountain Clinics, Anthony Village, Lagos, in his own contribution also said ,”police performance was fantastic. The whole thing turned out very okay. They should be commended” A Lagos-based Legal practitioner, Barrister Kole Oluwajano stated; “Police performance during and after the elections was very impressive. This is because, if there was no violence, no thuggery, it shows that the police performed their duties effectively. What they succeeded in doing this time around has shown that if given free hand to do their job, they will do a good job”.