Sacking 10,000 policemen will not affect election , ...IGP
From: KABIRU YUSUF, Abuja

BARELY, two weeks to general elections, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero has assured all Nigerians that the sacking of 10,000 police by his command will not affect the security arrangements put in place towards the forthcoming elections.
According to the police boss who gave this assurance at Presidential Villa, Abuja while answering questions from the State House press corps, sacking those police officers became necessary in view of their records.
He further said that most of those affected were police men who had bad records, were indisciplined, have health incapacitated conditions, mental problems, forged documents as well as those who gave false information about their age.
The Inspector General explained that going by their records, the command resolved to lay them off so as to give way to those Nigerians who were ready to give the nation maximum security required for both lives and property.
He pointed out that currently the police commission is no longer existing following its dissolution since November last year, adding that his actions had followed all due process  before issuing sack letters.
Mr. Ehindero said the Nigeria Police Force had enough manpower to ensure security at all polling booths across the nation, explaining that the sacking of 10,000 police will not affect their arrangement for the elections.
Government in its determination to provide security of lives of the innocent citizens as well as their property, gave his command approval to without further delay recruitment 50,000 Nigerians wishing to join its services, he said.
The Inspector General who said that currently over 12,000 people had been recruited in an effort to strengthen the command, also said the force had since completed all arrangement to ensure a hitch-free election come April 14, 2007.
Defending his action as some staff of the Nigerian Police Commission were insinuating that the police boss took the action without consulting the commission , he said his action at present did not need any approval from the Police Commission.
While debunking the rumour that 14,000 more officers were to be laid off in due course, the Inspector General explained that if the federal government reconstituted the Nigerian Police Commission, it may even revisit the case of the 10,000 officers already sacked if the need arose.