Frank Mba, Deputy Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police Force, has noted that stopping vote buying is among the most challenging tasks because to the various methods used by those involved.
Despite being a severe violation of election rules, the practice of buying votes has become common among political groups during the electoral period in Nigeria.
Speaking on the Channels Television, hours into the election, Mba confessed that dealing with vote buying presents a significant challenge for law enforcement.
According to him, vote buying in most cases, is not done in public but even in the most secluded places.
He said, “Vote buying is one of the most difficult offences to actually police and manage, and I am saying this with every sense of honesty.
“The reason is simple: the bulk of vote buying and selling that takes place doesn’t take place in the glare of the public, in the glare of the media, or in the glare of the law enforcement agents. Sometimes, they take place in the bedrooms of citizens, and we don’t have the capacity to police every bedroom, every kitchen, every toilet and every balcony.
“But our pledge is that the ones that happen in the glare of the public, the ones our security network is able to detect and intercept, we will deal with them.”
Mba mandated that voters should cast their votes and return home, stressing that only those accredited would be allowed to move around.
“It is important for parents and everybody to know that if you are not accredited to carry out any of the functions related to the election, you should not be out on the street. Just go out there, perform your civic duties, cast your vote and return to your home,” Mba said.
