Christopher Oji
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, has said that the voters apathy witnessed in the state was not the problem of the police.
Muazu said that the primary responsibility of the police is first and foremost to ensure adequate security in the state and to ensure that materials get to different polling units and to give adequate security to people.
He explained that it was the duty of Nigerians to go out and exercise their franchise, but the decision to stay back is the wish of the individual.
“We have encouraged people to come out and vote by ensuring that there is adequate security. The exercise went on peacefully” he added.
Muazu said that a standby squad was stationed at the Command Headquarters should there be the need for deployment at the area of crisis.
Meanwhile, at least 25 suspected social miscreants were arrested for various electoral offences in Lagos metropolis between Friday and Saturday morning.
It was learnt that while ten persons were arrested in Ojo and its environs by policemen on the entourage of the Commissioner of Police, on election duty, CP Kenneth Ebrimson, 12 others were arrested around Oshodi over what the police described as “unlawful gathering.”
It was learnt that those arrested in Oshodi were being detained at Makinde Police Station, while the police said that those nabbed in Ojo were involved in the bloody fracas that occurred at Oto Awori area of Lagos which claimed the lives of two persons while over 35 vehicles were damaged and many shops looted.
Chairman Lagos State Taskforce, Olayinka Egbeyemi, told our correspondent that his team arrested two hoodlums in Agege and another two in Iyana Ipaja.
In another development, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 2, Lawal Shehu, has said that he could not give the exact number of arrest made .
Though, he said that the elections went on peacefully, but that there were minor complaints from some parts of the state, noting that security operatives on election duty rose to the occasion. .
There was tension in Ogudu collation centre over missing nine ballot booklets meant for Ward 4, voting centre in Kosefe area of Lagos State.
It was learnt that the People Democratic Party (PDP) agents were protesting the missing ballot booklets.
A PDP agent, Kunle Aladiyan, said that they discovered the missing booklets this morning while INEC officials were distributing election materials to each wards
Aladiyan said they were not going to participate in the election without the missing booklets, noting that similar issued occurred in 2015, and they were begged to let go. We told them while they were bringing the materials to count each carton booklets, but the INEC officials refused.
“That is how we lost 2015 election. We participated in the exercise thinking it would favour us, only for the missing booklets to find their ways into the ballot. We don’t want to be fooled again,” he alleged.
A PDP Senatorial candidate in the last National Assembly election, Mrs Sherifat Olushola-Hassan also said that the party would participate on the ground that all ballot papers belonging to ward 4 would not be distributed.
The official said the booklets of Ward 4 would not be use at all to avoid problems.
The Area Commander of Area H Ogudu , Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Miller Dantawaye, who led other security agencies to provide security for the centre and Kosofe area confirmed that he was there when they discovered the missing booklets