The inspector-general of police, Mr Usman Baba Alkali, has assured that despite security challenges, elections would be held in the South East zone next year.

The inspector general who was represented by the assistant inspector-general of police, Mr Isaac Akinmoyede, spoke yesterday at the opening ceremony of the “South-East 2023 Elections Security Management Workshop” held in Enugu.

He assured that the police were building a robust synergy with other security organisations and formations to ensure that the 2023 elections are seamless and peaceful.

The police chief said they were brainstorming to fashion out ways to deal with existing and emerging security threats within the region.

“It is clear that with robust synergy, cooperation and joint operations this area will be the most peaceful and our people will surely come out to exercise their civic responsibility.

“We are working relentlessly on the goal of ensuring that elections hold in the South-East and people’s votes are secured and will definitely count,” he assured.

Earlier in a speech, a retired IGP, Dr Solomon Arase, said the workshop was meant for all security agencies and formations in the South-East to get them ready for the election.

Arase that the workshop would help to identify previous security gaps in election security as well as point out tasks and responsibilities of each security agency concerned about the election.

Also speaking, the commissioner of police in Enugu State, Mr Abubakar Lawal, urged the people of the zone and the state not to express any fear about the 2023 election.

“2023 elections will hold and we are doing everything humanly possible to ensure that. Our people should not entertain any fear or any opinion in the contrary,” Lawal assured.

The workshop was attended officers of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police, DSS and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

Others were from the Nigeria Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal and State Fire Services as well as National Drug Law Enforcement Agency among others.

Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, has stated that the federal government will soon publish the names of significant individuals responsible for oil theft in the nation.

Shehu claimed that security personnel had stormed places where illegal oil bunkering thrives in an effort to free the nation’s economy from the sabotage of a selfish minority.

Shehu intimated that there might be instances of some law enforcement officers engaging in the unlawful activity when speaking on Trust TV’s Politics Today, but he added that additional measures were being taken to stop it.

“Oil theft is being tackled. The big problem we have in this country is that we ought to see more commitment from communities in assisting law enforcement agents. In some cases, where some actors in the law enforcement are complicit, it becomes bad,” he said.

He added that it was embarrassing for Nigeria not to meet up with the quota given to it by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

“We used to fight the OPEC for more quotas; now, they have given us and we are not able to meet up. This is embarrassing. Security agencies are fully involved in stopping this act. I am hopeful that in the next few days, the office of the National Security Adviser will be presenting to the country, big men who are promoters of this kind of business as they are being caught and illegal refineries are being bombed out.

“The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited is also installing a monitoring capacity to detect or advice immediately when sabotage of oil pipelines happen,” he said.

The convoy of Mrs Kafayat Oyetola, wife of Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, was on Friday night attacked by gunmen, with some security personnel injured.

The incident reportedly occurred at Owode, Ede area of Osun around 8.00pm on Friday.

Intermittent shootings were heard in the area, as security operatives engaged hoodlums in a shootout.

Information Officer to the office of the First Lady, Oluwatunmise Iluyomade, told The Punch that the convoy was attacked.

She said “No life was lost in the incident. Some security personnel attached to the convoy sustained various degrees of injuries.”

It was gathered that the convoy of Mrs Oyetola was heading to Osogbo and was around Owode market when intermittent gunshots were heard around the area.

Sources said a truck had created obstruction on the road when the First Lady’s convoy was around the area.

The security personnel attacked to the First Lady had gone to clear the road block when a brawl ensued, leading to a shootout.