The police have issued a stern warning to individuals and groups intending to disrupt Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections slated for 28 states across Nigeria.

“Anybody that wants to disrupt the system should be ready to die, and anybody that wants to die should come out and disrupt the system. If you love your life, keep away, cast your vote, go home and wait for the result,” the deputy inspector general of police in charge of the South-East, John Amadi, issued the warning on Thursday in Umuahia, while addressing officers of the state command at the Police Officers’ Mess, Umuahia.

Mr Amadi urged the Abia electorate to disregard any threat to stop the elections, reassuring them that the polls would be held as scheduled.

“On behalf of the inspector general of police and the management team, I assure you that there would not be any infractions. I can assure you that we are ready,” the top police officer said. “We belong to Nigerians, and this is the time to make everybody know that our primary responsibility is to protect lives and property. We have assured Nigerians and the South-East that nobody should entertain any fears.”

Mr Amadi stressed that the police “are there to protect the system” and anybody who wants to “put himself into problem or involve in thuggery would have himself to blame.”

He added, “Anybody that wants to snatch ballot boxes or disrupt the elections will be promptly dealt with. We have deployed our men to dominate all the areas that we think that trouble would erupt from. So we are sounding a note of warning to criminals and non-state agents that we would not tolerate anything that would not allow the people to cast their vote and choose who they want to represent them.”

He assured visitors to the state, including election monitors and observers, of their safety, saying, “We also assure you that INEC officials and materials must be adequately protected.”

(NAN)