By Samuel Ike, Abuja

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Enugu State Command, has deployed 2,527 personnel to provide security during the Enugu State Local Government Elections scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2026.The State Commandant, Dr Elijah Willie, disclosed this on Thursday in Enugu, stating that the deployment comprises both uniformed and plain clothes personnel strategically positioned across the state to ensure a peaceful and credible electoral process.Willie said the command had also mobilised operational logistics, including seven vehicles for Area Commanders, four additional patrol vans and other support vehicles for monitoring and rapid response operations. He added that his own operational team would remain on active duty throughout the exercise.According to him, the command has been preparing extensively for the elections and has held a series of strategic meetings with management staff, Area Commanders, Divisional Corps Officers, heads of departments and leaders of special units to fine tune security arrangements.He explained that officers and personnel had been thoroughly briefed on their responsibilities and trained on election security procedures. The command, he said, had developed an operational framework in line with security guidelines already issued and would ensure that all personnel deployed at divisional and ward levels strictly adhere to approved instructions.The commandant emphasised that officers had been directed to carry out their duties professionally, firmly and with full respect for the rights of citizens. He also revealed that the NSCDC, in collaboration with other security agencies, had intensified raids on identified criminal hideouts and flashpoints across the state to prevent any disruption of the polls.Willie urged residents to come out in large numbers and exercise their civic rights without fear, assuring them of adequate security before, during and after the elections. He warned troublemakers and criminal elements to stay away from the state, stressing that security agencies were fully prepared to deal decisively with any attempt to undermine the electoral process.He further disclosed that the command had put in place additional security measures that could not be made public for operational reasons, noting that advanced surveillance technology would be deployed to monitor activities across the state.The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission has scheduled elections into the 17 local government chairmanship positions and 260 councillorship seats across the state for Saturday, September 26, 2026.