Osun Election: Undercover Operatives Deployed To Monitor Vote-Buyers

AMILOADED MEDIA OSUN Ballot NEWS

Alee of the Sabbatum governorship election in Osun State, the constabulary and other security agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Ceremonious Defence Corps, have alleged state of war on vote-buyers and mapped out strategies to checkmate their activities.

To curb the malpractices during the poll, the security agencies have deployed detectives, including undercover operatives, to monitor the election and apprehend vote-buyers.

The deployment of police personnel will also be complemented by soldiers, the Civil Defence Corps, and the Amotekun Corps.

Vote-ownership has been a blot on the integrity of recent elections in the country as voters are heavily induced by agents of political parties at the polling booths to skew the outcome of the polls in favour of the highest spender.

Co-ordinate to PUNCH report, the security agencies had mapped out elaborate strategies aimed at preventing a repeat of the vote-buying incidents recorded during the Ekiti governorship poll as well as other elections in the recent past.

The EFCC had arrested some suspects, including political party agents, for allegedly engaging in vote-buying during the June eighteen governorship ballot in Ekiti.

Some of them were likewise said to have been caught with bags of money with a book containing details of voters of certain voting areas at a private residence.

The EFCC, which would also monitor the Osun poll on Saturday, would give no room for vote-buyers to operate.

Withal, the commission's spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, could not be reached to ostend the number of men that would be deployed for the performance as he did not reply to calls on his phone. He had yet to reply to an SMS on the issue.

Explaining the police strategy confronting vote-buying, the Strength Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, informed The Punch on Tuesday that the forcefulness would not take it lightly with anyone defenseless engaging in balloter malpractices during the Osun poll.

He explained that the police would deploy the Federal Intelligence Agency, Tactical Corps and the Special Forces to curb the incidents of vote-buying.

According to the Nigeria Police Force website, www.npf.gov.ng, the Federal Intelligence Bureau is the apex of intelligence gathering in the Force. It is the just arm of the Strength that provides intelligence on crime and national security. Some of the functions of the bureau include collection, collation, assessment/evaluation and dissemination of criminal intelligence affecting the activities of criminals with particular reference to organised crimes; identifying criminal syndicates carrying out criminal activities using gangster techniques; disseminating criminal intelligence to various police formations continuously and maintaining surveillance on organised gangs, identify members, associates, daily activities and method of operation.

Adejobi said, "The IG said it today (Tuesday) during the stakeholder forum (in Osogbo) that we are not going to take it lightly with anyone that engages in any balloter violence or malpractices including vote-buying, snatching of ballot papers or boxes, attacking electoral or INEC officials or observers, campaigning during the polls or wearing anything that has whatsoever particular logo or emblem during the polls.

"All these violate the provisions of the Electoral Act which is criminal. So we are going to get subsequently those who violate the Balloter Act and the laws of the land. And so, we are going to be serious about it but don't forget that vote-buying is not something y'all do in the public. We tin can only get after those we see doing it."

Asked if the police would deploy hush-hush operatives to monitor the poll and apprehend those engaging in vote-buying, the forcefulness spokesman stated that the Force Intelligence Bureau would be on the ground during the election.

He added, "The FIB operatives are there, Tactical Corps have been deployed to Osun, including my department-Public Relations Department. Then every unit and sector of the department of constabulary is involved.

"Don't forget that we take the Balloter Offences Desk officer who happens to be the Banana Commissioner of Police in accuse of CID in Osun country. He will collate and investigate all electoral offences. They are in that location to practise their job while we appeal to the people of the state to exist at-home and law-abiding."

Source: https://amiloadednews.com/2022/07/osun-2022-police-declares-war-on-vote-buyers-unveils-tactics-to-apprend-defaulters.html

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