Police deploy 30,000 personnel for Ondo poll

• Say days of rigging are over
• Warn Oduduwa Republic exponents against illegal gatherings

The Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Bolaji Salami, has said that at least 30,000 police officers have been deployed to provide security during the October 10, 2020 governorship election in the state.

Salami, who disclosed this to The Guardian, said that the command was fully prepared in terms of manpower and logistics and that the manpower was enough to cover all the polling units during the election to enable the state have a free-and-fair poll.

He warned that violence would not be tolerated in the state and urged the political parties to go about their campaigns peacefully.

IN a related vein, police have warned those agitating for the Oduduwa Republic against embarking on any illegal gathering and procession on October 1 or any other day.

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Leye Oyebade, who gave the warning in Ibadan during a visit to the Oyo State Command, said such gathering might trigger a crisis, especially at this time when the nation was celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Oyebade, who promised that the police would ensure that the peace being enjoyed in the region was not disrupted by anybody or group of persons, said: “Our parents should not allow their children to be used for any unwarranted procession. We are to guide all key and vulnerable points. We are not supposed to be fighting. Our men will be out on patrol. On no account should anybody come out to disrupt the peace we are enjoying. The police will make sure that nobody is allowed to cause crisis here.”

“To those who have been making inflammatory statements and those that we have warned, we have their records. Nobody should do anything to destabilise this nation”, Oyebade said.