On November 6, 2023, the CDD War Room received a claim via our Check by Meedan app. According to the claim, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), at a townhall meeting said it is an offence for a Police officer to escort any VIP on election day. He added that election day is an exemption for VIP escort.
Claim: IGP says police escort for VIPs on election day is an offence
Verification:
On November 5, 2023, the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun appeared at the Townhall meeting aired on Channel News. At the event tagged “People’s Townhall on Election Security’, Seun Okinbaloye asked him on the standard procedure for Police officers on election day, at the poling unit.
The IGP said “Police men who provide escorts to VIPs are not supposed to provide that escort on election day. Election day is an exemption to that duty for them. So no VIP will be allowed to move with Police escort on the day of election. And anyone that does that is violating the electoral law and is liable to prompt arrest. And such people will be dealt with once arrested.”
The CDD War Room found several reports of such warning in previous elections.
In 2019, Mohammed Adamu, the then acting Inspector-General of Police, stated that no officer is allowed to escort any politician during the general elections.
Ahead of the supplementary election in 2023, a similar warning was issued by the then IGP, Usman Baba. He reiterated the ban on all security aides to Very Important Persons (VIPs) and escorts from accompanying their principals and politicians to polling booths and collation centres during the election.
Verdict: TRUE
The CDD War Room can confirm that the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, said police escort for VIPs on election day is an offence and any one caught will be arrested and dealt with. He made the statement at the People’s Townhall meeting on Channel Television.
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