Ribadu warned that security agencies would identify and deal with political thugs during and after the elections.

He gave the warning on Friday in Abuja at the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security meeting organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the February 21 polls.

Represented by the Director of Internal Security at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Hassan Abdullahi, Ribadu disclosed that the Nigerian Police Force, as the lead agency for election security, in collaboration with other security and law enforcement agencies, was already mobilising resources to forestall any disruption of the electoral process.

“Accordingly, adequate security personnel will be deployed to polling units and high-risk electoral wards. Political thugs and politicians with violent dispositions will be identified and reprimanded or restrained, while vote buyers will be traced and apprehended,” he said.

The NSA urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves responsibly and uphold the sanctity of the democratic process, warning that any breach of the law would attract severe sanctions.

Ribadu also called on the media, civil society organisations, community leaders and citizens to embrace a shared responsibility in safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy.

He commended INEC for the successful conduct of the Anambra governorship election and praised security agencies for maintaining law and order during the exercise, noting that the peaceful outcome reflected President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to free, fair and violence-free elections.