Deputy Inspector-General of Police Adeleye Oyebade in charge of Edo Governorship Evening Security Monitoring Team, has warned that nobody who violated electoral laws would go unpunished.
Oyebade said this on Saturday in Benin, after inspecting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office where the final collation of the Edo governorship election results would take place.
He said while election was still ongoing, the security agencies appealed to the electorate and major actors not to cross the line, but do the needful.
He explained that the inspection was to further strengthen what was on ground, adding that minor issues that had been brought before the security agencies were being handled.
He noted that every security agency in the state under the banner of Inter Agencies Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), were all involved in the election security to ensure free, fair and acceptable results at the end of the poll.
He said security agencies were committed to ensure that the election was conducted peacefully, adding that nothing was too much to sacrifice for the success of the election.
He, however, appealed to those who had yet to vote to go and do so, and also called for patience from the electorate as the process continues.
Speaking on the allleged shooting of an electorate at Ologbo in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state and the alleged shooting at Oza, in Orhiomwon Local Government Area, Oyebade said that there was nothing of such but however, they have set out to investigate various areas and polling units where cases of gunshots were reported earlier during accreditation and voting.
Oyebade added that their visit was to ensure that election activities were going on according to electoral laws.
Though the electoral process has been peaceful, there were cases of gunshots in the morning of Saturday at Oza community, near Abudu in Orhiomwon Local Government Area, and Ologbo, a border town between Edo and Delta.
A member of one of the political parties at Ologbo in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area was said to have been allegedly shot by a suspected thug.
But the Enogie (traditional Head) of Ologbo Jason Akenzua, who confirmed hearing gunshots, said the Divisional Police Officer for the area told him the gunshots were from security operatives to disperse the unruly crowd in the area.
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