“With every guideline, there are sanctions. Every officer has knowledge of these guidelines. All of our officers have been adequately trained,” Shogunle responded when asked whether police would follow their own guidelines and remain politically neutral.
In an exclusive interview with SaharaTV Chief Superintendent Abayomi Shogunle discussed preparations and training the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is undergoing for the February general elections.
Amid the widely held public assumption that the 2015 elections will have systemic rigging and voter fraud, Mr. Shogunle told SaharaTV that “the code of [police force] conduct is expected to stop this [electoral fraud] from happening.” Shogunle explained that the NPF now has comprehensive guidelines and rules of conduct “adhering to best international practices” which will ensure the integrity of the election.
“With every guideline, there are sanctions. Every officer has knowledge of these guidelines. All of our officers have been adequately trained,” Shogunle responded when asked whether police would follow their own guidelines and remain politically neutral.
The threat of terrorism and poll violence remains a serious concern as the general elections near. Shogunle said that “every other security agency will be deploying to assist the Nigerian Police Force in ensuring a peaceful and violence-free election.”
The NPF has also taken preventative action to hopefully dissuade the use of violence. Shogunle reassured viewers that “part of the efforts to prevent violence is that the police leadership has been having interaction with different stakeholders.” He added that the NPF now have a variety of platforms to reach the police including social media and “emergency phone numbers of all the state commands on the police website.”
Chief Supt. Abayomi Shogunle appealed to Nigerians “to come up with issues they feel the Nigerian police force should be responding to.”