FCT Council Elections: Police restrict movement from 12 midnight Friday to 4 pm Saturday

By Matthew Eloyi

To ensure security during the Area Council Elections in the Federal Capital Territory, the FCT Police Command said on Thursday that movement will be restricted in Abuja from 12 midnight on Friday, February 11 to 4 pm on Saturday, February 12.

The restriction however exempts students who were already scheduled to write their WAEC examination across the country as well as other essential workers.

Those who do not fall into any of these categories and are found wanting will face the wrath of the law, according to a statement by DSP Josephine Adeh, Police Public Relations Officer, FCT Command.

The statement is titled, “FCT Police Command Boast of Security Deployment: Set to Enforce Pronounced Restriction on Forthcoming 12 February 2022 Area Council Elections”.

DSP Adeh said, “The FCT Police Command in a bid to cement the security architecture and deployment towards the Saturday 12th February 2022 Area council elections, will be all out to enforce the declared restrictions on the Election Day.

“The restriction emplaced between the period of 12mid night – 4 pm of the said date was put in place to enable the Police in a concerted effort with other sister agencies to do due diligence in the discharge of their duties as ensuring a free and fair Election thereby totally paralyzing any form of threat emergence and creating a vote worthy atmosphere for voters and the electorates at large to perform their civic right and obligation.

“Consequent upon the above, the Commissioner of Police FCT Command CP Babaji Sunday while expressing his confidence in the already emplaced security measures urges the good people of the FCT to turn out to exercise their voting rights without the fear of harassment or molestation of any kind.

“He however noted that the Restriction only bears an exception for essential workers and Students who were coincidentally scheduled to write a nationwide WAEC examination, stressing emphatically that parties found otherwise wanting will be made to face the wrath of the law.

“Furthermore, the CP wishes to remind all stakeholders in the election to be reminded of their signed peace accord and ensure that their actions and inactions are ushered by constituted guidelines.

“He, therefore, calls on residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious or abnormal occurrence to the Police through the following emergency lines: 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653 and 08028940883.”