Mr Paul Odama , who is the new Police Commissioner in Kwara state , has assumed duties.
He took over as the state police chief following the retirement of Mr Tuesday Assayamo .
As electioneering officially began penultimate Wednesday, he told Global Excellence penultimate Thursday that heads of security agencies in the state had attended a meeting earlier in the day to strategize ahead of the 2023 general election.
The police chief also said while other steps were being taken to ensure violence-free elections in the state, he would also be meeting with the leaders of political parties in the state tomorrow in Ilorin, the state capital .
The Chief Judge of the state , Justice Durosinlorun Kawu, he added, would also be invited to preside over a peace accord signing ceremony in Ilorin this week.
Leaders of political parties in the state will sign the peace accord to secure their commitment to elections that would be devoid of violence.
All leaders of the political parties would according to him be made to append their signatures to the peace accord and make commitment to violence-free elections in the state.
Odama urged leaders of political parties and other politicians in the state not to violate the rules of the game but conduct their political activities in accordance with the provisions of the law to ensure peace and security of lives and property in the state.
While promising that the state command would ensure a level playing field for everyone in the state irrespective of party affiliation, region or tribe, he also noted that the Police are apolitical.
‘The people of the state as a whole are our constituency, hence we are promising to discharge our duties with a clear conscience and fear of God’ he said.
Odama also said the Police in conjunction with other sister security agencies in the state had taken steps to emplace adequate security for members of all political parties to carry out campaigns without being intimidated or harassed.
‘The Command is not unaware that, officially, political party campaigns have started, as such, the command in conjunction with other sister agencies have concluded plans to emplace adequate security for all political parties to make their campaigns free of any intimidation across the length and breadth of the state’ he said.
Odama, who said he was in the state to sustain the prevailing peace and security , asked criminally-minded persons to retrace their steps or relocate from the state.
The commissioner of Police, however, said he would respect the democratic tenets in waging war against crimes and criminality in the state.
‘By the same token, I want to use this medium to advise would-be lawbreakers and criminal elements in the state to change their ways and be law-abiding, or pack their bags and baggage and relocate to any state they feel is safe to carry on with their lawless activities.
We are prepared to work with both state and non-state security actors to police Kwara state with all available human and material resources to ensure that peace reigns supreme in the state.
The command is also ready to advance the community policing mantra of the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Usman Alkali Baba for an effective community participation in the arduous task of emplacement of a crime-free society’ he said.
