The Kaduna state police command has said that over 25,000 security personnel have been deployed to strategic flash points in the state to ensure law and order during Thursday’s “protest against hunger and bad governance.”
Spokesperson of the command, Mansir Hassan, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Kaduna.
He said the security personnel include the police, the armed forces and personnel of other security agencies.
According to him, the massive security deployment to flashpoints, “is to ensure strict compliance to public order.”
On Wednesday the security personnel led by the police commissioner and other top security heads, embarked on a confidence building patrol within Kaduna metropolis, preparatory for the protest.
Hassan said the show of force patrol was “designed to serve as a clear warning to those who may seek to use the upcoming protest to destabilise the state.”
The statement added that it also aimed to showcase the capabilities and readiness of security agencies to maintain peace and order.
The police spokesperson said, the operation saw the active participation of several high-ranking officers, including the Commissioner of Police Kaduna State Command, the Garrison Commander, 1 Division Nigerian Army, Kaduna, the Air Officer Commanding 453 Base Service Group, Kaduna, the Commander of Civil Defense, the Commander of Kaduna State Vigilante Service (KADVS) as well as all assistant commissioners of police (ACPOLs) and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs).
According to Hassan, “The primary objective of this show of force is to deter individuals with malicious intent from engaging in any form of violence during the upcoming protest.
“Effective deployment of over Twenty Five Thousand (25000) Police, Armed Forces and Other Security personnel have been made in strategic flashpoints to ensure strict compliance to public order.”
The statement added that, “the police will not deny citizens their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and protest”, stressing however that the protest should be peaceful.
John Shiklam
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