Nigeria’s police chief bans vehicles on election day

ABUJA. — Nigeria’s police chief has banned all vehicles from the roads during elections this Saturday to “ensure adequate security”.

Cars will not be allowed on the road from 8am — when polling stations open — until 5pm, said police inspector-general, Suleiman Abba.

He added: “This total restriction of movements order applies to all, except for ambulances, fire service trucks and others on essential duties. Consequently, travellers and citizens who intend to use roads on these days and hours are advised to plan alternative times for their travelling.”

He did not detail what the security risks were or how the ban would be enforced.

The move could deepen tensions ahead of Nigeria’s closest-fought elections since the country returned to democracy in 1999. President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south, faces former northern military ruler Muhammadu Buhari in a repeat of elections in 2011. Then, at least 500 people were killed after disputed results triggered days of rioting in the north.

Abba last week waded into the tense campaign when he warned voters not to stay behind for the sorting and counting of ballots once polls close. Constitutional lawyers said there was no legal basis for his order.

Critics have said the security services have been too heavily involved in the electoral process, including the military, pressing for a six-week rollback from an original date of February 14. A court this week barred the military from guarding polling stations on voting day. The opposition brought the case after troops were heavily deployed last year ahead of governorship races in the south-western states of Ekiti and Osun. Leaked press reports alleged that soldiers had conspired to rig the by-election. Both the military and ruling party have declined to deny or confirm the incident, although Jonathan has dismissed the charges as spurious.

If the military deploys despite the court order, the opposition is likely to use that fact to dispute the result should it lose, potentially spurring violence by Buhari’s supporters.

A government spokesman, Mike Omeri, told Reuters: “Nobody is using the military to conduct elections. They are deployed to support the security services [and] sometimes convey electoral materials.”

Residents in Lagos, the main city and an opposition stronghold, have reported seeing an unusually heavy military presence in recent weeks.

“I didn’t use to see them (soldiers) every day like how we are seeing them now,” said Joseph Akintola, a carpet seller from the heavily-populated Ajegunle neighbourhood.

“As I’m talking to you now, this morning I’ve seen two convoys of them driving past.”

CAJ News yesterday reported that the Nigerian military had cautioned journalists from loitering around areas where military operations were ongoing in the North East parts of Nigeria. The warning followed the restraining of two international journalists in the area. They were identified as Ahmed Idris and Mustafa Andy, working for Al Jazeera Television. According to the military, the journalists were noted to have been moving around various locations including restricted areas in Yobe and Borno State and were also operating without any protection, accreditation or due clearance.

The Defence Headquarters added that military intelligence operatives monitored the reporters until they eventually had to be restrained to their hotel in Maiduguri.

The military said the journalists were restrained due to increasing suspicion that their activities were aimed at interfering with military operations in the area.

“The motive, activities and some material in possession of these individuals are now being investigated.” — The Guardian/CAJNews/HR.

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