by Ranti Joseph

The Police in Edo State on Wednesday warned youth in the state to resist calls by politicians to serve as instruments of violence before, during and after the 2015 general elections.

‎The Commissioner of Police, Samuel Adegbuyi, gave the warning during a courtesy visit to the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Benin. He explained that his visit was part of his familiarisation tour of agencies and relevant stakeholders in the state.

Adegbuyi, who was in company with senior officers of the command, criticized the level of electoral violence in the country, which he attributed to the attitude of desperate politicians, who wanted to occupy elective positions for their personal interest.

“Politics should be devoid of thuggery and the youths shouldn’t allow themselves to be used by anybody; elections are meant to be conducted under a peaceful atmosphere. That is why I am going round on a familiarisation tour to work in partnership with the media and other sister agencies to ensure safe and a conducive atmosphere‎,” he said.

While commending the media for ensuring accountability from security agencies in the state, he stressed the need for more collaboration. “Crime control is not the monopoly of the police,” he added.

He also charged media practitioners not to relent on their efforts to ensure that peace in Edo was not compromised.

Janeth J