Ahead of the 2023 general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that the eyes of the nation and global community are on the Nigeria Police Force and all law enforcement agencies.

Buhari told the leadership of the Police and military chiefs that Nigerians and the global community are watching them, as they have high expectations of them to provide adequate security in ensuring peaceful conduct of the 2023 general election.

He stated this when he commissioned the newly procured NPF operational assets, vehicles, crowd control, and anti-riot equipment at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Buhari reiterated the centrality of an efficient and responsive police force in strengthening democracy and the essence of the police reform and the re-equipping agenda which his administration has vigorously pursued.

The President who briefed by the Inspector General of Police Usman Baba on the operation order and action plan for the polls expressed confidence in the level of preparedness of the police for the exercise.

By the same token told the police chief that his expectation of the security agency to provide adequate security that would foster a credible exercise remains high.

The President further stated that he has significantly accomplished plans to reposition the police and expects that the incoming administration will sustain his initiative.

Buhari commended Baba, for advancing the police reform agenda of his administration and for several other initiatives he had brought to the Force.

Some of the operational assets commissioned include a hundred and twenty-seven operational vehicles.

Similarly, a large catchment of arms, ammunition, and riot control agents such as tear gas, tasers, stun guns, pepper sprays, bulletproof vests, helmets, and other personal protective equipment procured by the Police will also be commissioned by the President.

Welcoming the President, the Inspector General of Police said that the critical assets being commissioned were procured from the Special Presidential Intervention Fund as part of a strategic plan towards stabilising the security space before, during and after the 2023 General Elections and for the purpose of boosting the capacity of the Nigeria Police to manage civil disorder, in line with acceptable national legal framework and international law enforcement protocols.

He acknowledged the commitment of the President to the uplift of the Nigeria Police, declaring that “President Buhari’s continued support and association during the commissioning of her infrastructure and operational assets presents a clear statement to the premium that Mr. President places on the Nigeria Police and policing issues in the country.”

Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, informed President Buhari that the Ministry of Police Affairs had in recent years rolled out robust logistical support and effective policy environment to complement the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force.

According to the Minister, the day’s event “was not an isolated initiative. It is part of the broad, well thought out and meticulously implemented policing strategy of the Inspector General of Police, which is built on his leadership vision that internal security can be stabilized on a sustainable basis only through a well-equipped, modernized, highly resourced and appropriately trained policing institution.”