By Emma Nnadozie, Crime Editor

The battle for the soul of Edo State has come and gone.  At long, long last, victory has gone to the popular choice of the people while other contenders are left to lick their wounds.  However, where ever the pendulum swung to, what is paramount presently is that against all predictions and expectations of violence and anarchy, the election has come out to be successfully concluded with little or no skirmishes.

With the conclusive end coming few hours after Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar was confirmed as the 16th substantive Inspector-General of Police in Nigeria, it would be appropriate to make an appraisal of the build-up to the election against anticipated violence, fear of all manners and lawlessness.

It is pertinent to point out that while campaigns and its anticipated propaganda were going on, police authorities in Abuja commenced its own intensive preparation towards making the exercise a huge success.

Firstly, the then acting Inspector-General of Police visited the state months before the election and held a closed-door meeting with all his officers and men with the forth-coming election as top agenda.  After, he commenced a pre-deployment training for all the officers that would participate in the election.

While this was going on, the state police boss, Olayinka Balogun was directed to carry out a meeting of all the stakeholders in the election with leaders of all the political parties.  The IGP then deployed massive undercover operatives with stern directives to provide streams of uninterrupted intelligence information to him personally.

Few days before the election, the IGP, in a deft move aimed at forestalling perceived pre-arraigned compromises,  pulled out the state Commissioner of police and posted him to the Force headquarters, Abuja temporarily.

In his place, he deployed three Commissioners of Police to man the three senatorial zones in the state. A deputy Inspector-General of Police was also deployed to the state to co-ordinate the entire security apparatus for the election.

The Inspector-General of Police also deployed policemen from the conventional unit, crack squad from the dreaded Police Mobile Force, PMF, and policemen from the counter-terrorism squad and intelligence unit popularly called undercover operatives.  The Marine Police were also deployed to the creeks and waterways while those from the Air wings were fully on the air through out the election.

At the end of the day, what was seen was a perfect security arraignment that was able to checkmate any form of thuggery or violence, cases of hijacking of election materials or stuffing of ballot boxes, cases of assault or intimidation of INEC officials or anybody whatsoever.  Most importantly, no form of accidental discharge or mis-use of firearms were recorded.

It should be noted that the cor-ordination and collaboration between the police and other security agencies was perfect.  All expectations and fears that the election was going to be rancorous and full of violence turned out the other way round because the police provided a perfect, peaceful and conducive environment for the people of Edo State to exercise their franchise and vote in a Governor of their choice.

From all indications, the recently concluded election in Edo which was like an acid test for, not just the police, but all other embattled security agencies, has turned out to prove that with proper coordination and planning, our security agencies would, no doubt, prove their mettle against all expectations.