Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Bolaji Salami, has asserted that members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, are precious and treasured citizens of this country.
The Commissioner of Police stated this when he played host to NYSC Ondo State Coordinator, Mrs. Grace Akpabio, at the Command Headquarters, Akure.
The Police chief further said that the Nigeria Police Force would do everything humanly possible to adequately protect the corps members that would be engaged as ad-hoc staff by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, during the October gubernatorial election.
Salami disclosed that the Police were ready to protect the lives and properties of citizens and residents of the Sunshine State.
“Let me use the opportunity of your visit to inform all the corps members serving in the state, especially those that would be engaged as INEC ad-hoc staff that we shall leave no stone unturned at ensuring that maximum protection is provided for the citizens and residents of the Sunshine State.
“We cannot afford to fail Nigerians and pointedly the corps members who are from different parts of the country and have agreed to sacrifice their time and resources to ensure that unity thrives in Nigeria.”
He said that the Police authority knew that majority of the corps members were from other parts of the country and that placed more responsibility on them to ensure that their safety was guaranteed under the law of the land.
The Commissioner of Police hinted that his command had reviewed the last general elections as it affected the manning and surveillance of RACs and had come up with improved service delivery.
“During the last year general elections, there were allegations that most security personnel did not act to instructions as regards provision of adequate security at RACs but I want to assure you that security chiefs in the state have met and we have mapped out strategies to ensure that all is well before, during and after the election,” he said.
He disclosed that the Federal Government had invested a lot into logistics and intelligence information gathering and processing, and promised that the coming gubernatorial election would be conducted under strict security watch.
While speaking at the office of the CP, the NYSC boss, Akpabio, said that it had become imperative for her to enlist the support of the Police in view of the challenges faced by corps members during the last general elections.
According to her, most corps members inundated her office with complaints that security personnel deployed to work with them abandoned their duty posts.
Akpabio said that the Police should ensure they gave priority attention to the safety of corps members while at the same time protecting the election materials.
Akpabio used the platform to welcome the Commissioner of Police to the Sunshine State and wished him well in his daunting assignments in the state.
