'Lai Olurode and MK Hammanga or move into position for military action in order to be used effectively. Deployment is thus, a means to enhance optimal utilization of resources. It could be in respect of personnel or physical resources. Deployment of resources, not necessarily of human resources only, should not be conflated with availability or needs. Human or material resources may well be in abundance, but their deployment may not prompt effectiveness in ways that can drive productivity or maximize returns on investments. Deployment is a dependent variable which is influenced by power, class and a plethora of social network. Generally speaking, deployment of security personnel in Nigeria is influenced by criteria that are both objective and subjective. Deployment of security personnel and of election materials is not done arbitrarily or haphazardly, politics intrudes into the process. This is the context in which allegations of deliberate starving of their areas of election materials by some politicians, though sometimes unfounded, could be understood. Of course, to deploy is one thing, to use the resources as deployed or to make them serve the ends for which deployment has been undertaken is another. The attitude of those who have been deployed could subvert the very purpose of their deployment. There had been cases where security personnel on election duties were found to have colluded to undermine the electoral processes. Instances of professional misconduct by security personnel abound. In the calculation of security personnel and those responsible for deployment, not all political spaces to be covered in an election or political appointments convey same advantages. Resources at the behest of the political office holders or that 64 ELECTION SECURITY IN NIGERIA: MATTERS ARISING Deployment of Security Personnel in Elections: Challenges and Lessons from the Field are available within a given political space and how generous the owners are perceived, are among key factors. Persistent rumours about underground purchases of deployment are rampant and too persistent to be dismissed. Security personnel on patrol duties(or those posted to check points), as well as those who are on international assignments are believed to be under pressure to offer inducements to influence their postings. In this paper, our objectives are threefold; (1) To outline critical factors in the deployment of security personnel on electoral duties. (2) To see whether actual deployment of security personnel on duties reflect concerns for security profile and vulnerability of the area where elections are to hold and (3) To answer the question whether deployment of security personnel constitutes a deterrent to voters' turnout or whether it is a positive factor. Even where there is adequacy of the required personnel(which is rarely the case), if deployment is haphazard or not well coordinated or data driven, election security may come under threat and the integrity of the electoral process undermined. We postulate that if security personnel deployment is based on scientific criteria, it should produce a more satisfactory outcome even when there is a shortage of security personnel. ELECTION SECURITY IN NIGERIA: MATTERS ARISING 65