The State Commandant, NSCDC, Edwin Osuala, stated this while addressing officers and men of the command at the state command headquarters in Awka on Tuesday, before their deployment to Imo State.
Osuala warned its officers against any form of compromise with political actors, adding that anyone found wanting would be decisively dealt with.
He enjoined them to eschew partisanship and maintain due diligence and ethical standards.
He said, “I assemble you here today to brief you ahead of your deployment to Imo State. First, I want to inform you that the Commandant General of NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has charged officers and men to join forces with sister agencies to provide the needed security for the movement of election materials, INEC officials and the electorates to freely cast their votes peacefully.
“This is a national assignment and I expect you to be professional, civil, and polite but firm in the discharge of your duties and responsibilities.
“Let me remind you that the success of the Imo guber election is tied to the safe and secure environment that we as security agencies will provide during the process.
“Therefore, I expect you to conduct yourselves within the framework of the code of conduct and rules of engagement for security personnel on electoral duty. You are to exhibit a high sense of integrity and respect the rights of citizens during the exercise.”
He also added that it is a routine duty to support other commands when the need arises, hence, the election in Imo State requires support to complement the security arrangement already in place.
He called on the people of Imo State to remain law-abiding and assist security agencies in the maintenance of a peaceful, safe and secure environment before, during and after the election through prompt reporting of any suspicious movement of person(s) or incident of crime in their areas to the nearest security formation.
Osuala, while urging Imo citizens to come out in masses to exercise their franchise, said the NSCDC and other security agencies are on the alert to avert any unruly act capable of disrupting the peaceful conduct of the election.
