The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) will deploy 11, 000 personnel and 30 special duty dogs for the conduct of the Nov.18 Governorship election in Anambra.
Mr John Ahwen, the Commandant of the NSCDC in Anambra, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Tuesday.
Ahwen said that the team approved by the Commandant-General of NSCDC, to be led by Mr Hilary Madu, the NSCDC Deputy Commandant-General, Operations, and other top officers, would man each of the 21 local government areas of the state.
He said that one or two personnel of the NSCDC would be in each of the 4,608 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) polling units across the state.
Ahwen explained that the personnel would be selected from Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Delta, Benue and Edo.
He said that the NSCDC would equally deploy 115 vehicles, 15 boats, drones, and ambulances.
Ahwen said that 15 the boats of the NSCDC would support those being deployed in the riverine communities by the Nigerian Navy.
According to him, the involvement of security in the election is for the good of the people of Anambra.
“No security personnel deployed for the conduct of the Nov.18 governorship election has the power to arrest anybody except on the directive of the INEC electoral officer.
“Our mandate is to stand and watch and see that things move on well, ‘’ he said.
The Anambra NSCDC boss advised the people of Anambra not to panic over the presence of security personnel on the day of election, but to rather see the presence of security personnel as a good omen.
“The Anambra people should rest assured that the security personnel being deployed for Nov.18 election are participating for good.
“They will neither molest anybody nor interfere with the smooth conduct of the election,’’ he said.
NAN reports that the Nigeria Police Force had announced plans to deploy 28, 000 personnel while the Federal Road Safety Commission will assign 2,000 personnel.
Other security agencies have yet to present the number of their personnel that would be involved in the election.