The Nigeria Police Force said the Independent National Electoral Commission report on the police during the Rivers State legislative re-run election was a disservice to it.
INEC in its 37-page report on the December 10 Rivers State legislative re-run elections indicted personnel of the police, citing obstructive involvement of security agencies.
A statement issued by the Force spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood, in Abuja on Wednesday, said the report published by a national newspaper on February 22 was misleading.
Moshood said that all the issues raised by INEC were discovered by the Joint Investigative Panel set up by the police and had been dealt with accordingly.
“The story is therefore misleading, malicious and capable of misinforming members of the public on the statutory roles of the Nigeria Police Force in election security,” he said.
He explained that after the violence that followed the election, the police acted promptly and proactively by setting up a joint investigative panel.
Moshood said the panel in its reports indicted six police officers who were arrested, investigated, subjected to internal disciplinary measure and dismissed.
“Other agencies whose personnel were also indicted by the Joint Investigation Panel are expected to do the same to their personnel indicted in the report without any further delay,” he said.
He said that 23 INEC Electoral Officers and two Administrative officials, who were also indicted by the panel, had been granted bail and released to the Director of Human Resources, INEC Headquarters, Abuja.
The spokesman said that N111.3 million part of the money allegedly given to them by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State was recovered from them.
Moshood said: “The Nigeria Police Force is apolitical and will not engage in any political partisanship, and will continue to ensure that election security is guaranteed across the country.”
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