Mike Igini Security Agents shall: l Provide security at the Polling Stations and collation centres to ensure that polling, counting of ballots, collation and declaration of results are conducted without breach of peace. l Take necessary measures to prevent violence or any activity that can threaten or disrupt elections. l Comply with any lawful directive issued by or under the authority of INEC. l Ensure the safety and security of all election materials by escorting and guarding the materials as appropriate. l Protect election officials at the polling stations and collation centres. l Arrest, on the instruction of the Presiding Officer or other INEC officials, any person(s) causing any disturbance or preventing the smooth conduct of proceedings at the polling stations and collation centres. l At the polling station, inform the Presiding Officer if they believe that any voter is under the age of 18 years or has committed an offence of impersonation. l On the instruction of the Presiding Officer, stand at the end of the queue of voters at the polling station, if any, at the official close of accreditation so that any person entering the polling station after this time is not allowed to vote. l Accompany the Presiding Officer to deliver the election 50 ELECTION SECURITY IN NIGERIA: MATTERS ARISING Election Security in Theory and Practice: Perspective of a Resident Electoral Commissioner results, ballot boxes and other election materials safely to the RA/Ward Collation Centre. l Accompany Collation Officers to deliver collated election results to Returning Officers. To implement these security arrangements nationwide during elections, state offices of INEC are directed to make specific directional security arrangements. Hence, the Independent National Electoral Commission, conscious of the security challenges of past elections and the need not to have a repeat of same experience, established in the 36 states and FCT what is called Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security(ICCES). Joint State Election Security Committee made of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner(including Administrative Secretary, Head of Operations Department and Public Affairs Officer) various security agencies, namely, the Police, Department of State Security(DSS), the Navy, the Air Force and officers of para-military organizations such as Customs, Correctional Services, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA), the Civil Defence Corp etc, to plan and coordinate security of elections. The State Commissioners of Police chair the committee and at the Local Government level, this structure is also replicated with the Divisional Police Officers(DPO) as heads of the committee. The State Joint Security Committee conducts the following activities; l Ensuring that all security personnel are in the right places and, therefore, avoid role conflicts at all registration centers or polling stations. ELECTION SECURITY IN NIGERIA: MATTERS ARISING 51