June 21: Police restrict Fayemi’s, others’ movement

The Ekiti State Police Command has read the riot act to candidates in Saturday’s governorship election in the state to avoid moving about with security agents or other personal aides on the polling day.
The police said doing so would make them liable to criminal cases.
The police also warned individuals or group against accepting to work as fake policemen or soldiers for politicians during the election.
The police said such people, if caught, would face the full wrath of the law.
The spokesman of the state police command, Victor Babayemi, gave the warning at a public enlightenment programme in Ado-Ekiti.
Babayemi said that such persons and their collaborators should begin to have a change of mind in their own interest.
He said only the constitutionally recognized security outfits in the country would be allowed to mount the roads as well as polling areas.
Babayemi also warned politicians as well as public office holders, especially the parties candidates, to be informed of a section of the Electoral Law, which forbids them from moving about with security agents or other personal aides attached to them on the polling day, adding that such could trigger criminal cases against them.
Among those contesting are Governor Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress, Ayo Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party and Hon. Michael Opeyemi Bamidele of the Labour Party.
The PPRO advised the candidates to remain indoors and avoid moving about, saying that the laws do not respect persons or status.
He also warned them against distributing money or gift items anywhere near the polling booths, as doing so would make them liable to the offence of campaigning and soliciting for votes on the day of the election.
On how to recognize fake police officers or soldiers, Babayemi disclosed that all those deployed had been given special identification tags as well as Election Duty Permit, in addition to their service identification cards, which they are expected to hang on their chests.
He asked members of the public to promptly report anyone suspected to be fake or cases of attack and other forms of electoral malpractices to the state police command through two emergency numbers: 08062335577 and 07089310359.