The Police Service Commission (PSC), says it will deploy 45 of its personnel to monitor police conduct in the Nov. 16, Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States.
Mr Ikechukwu Ani, Head, Press and Public Relations of the commission, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, in Abuja.
Ani said 20 of the personnel would be deployed to Bayelsa and 25 to Kogi to ensure officers complied with the force’s rules of engagement.
He said cases of police misconduct that would arise from the exercise would be investigated; and any police officer found guilty would be punished accordingly.
He urged officers to ensure that they operated within the law and be professional in their conduct while remaining neutral and apolitical.
The spokesman said the monitors would be deployed to all the local government areas of the two states.
According to him, the teams would arrive in the respective states on Wednesday, to monitor the deployment of men, materials and conduct of police officers before, during and after the elections, NAN reports.
He said that the team to Bayelsa would be led by Mr Austin Braimoh, the commissioner representing the South-South geo-political Zone in PSC, and the media.
“The Kogi State team will be led by Mr Rommy Mom, the commissioner from the North Central geo-political zone in the commission and the Human Rights organisations,“ he said.
He said dedicated telephone lines had been provided for Nigerians to call and report cases of police misconduct or exemplary conduct during the elections.
The phone numbers are: Bayelsa Central, 08033326666, Bayelsa East, 08037002162, Bayelsa West, 08062583132 and Situation Room, 08088155981.
“Kogi Central, 08090976725, Kogi East, 08061509877, Kogi West, 08054970152 and Situation Room, 09022202111,’’ he said.
He said the deployment was in line with PSC’s constitutional mandate of exercising disciplinary control over the police.
Ani said that the police must be held accountable for its `actions and inactions’, including during elections.
