The Nigerian government has directed the restriction of movements around Eagle Square, the venue of the inauguration parade from 2 p.m. Nigerian time on Friday till Tuesday.
The government, in a circular issued by the permanent secretary at the Head of the Civil Service, Ngozi Onwudiwe said the Federal Secretariat Complexes Phases I, II, III and Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be cordoned off by security operatives ahead of the ceremony.
President-elect, Bola Tinubu and his Deputy, Kashim Shettima will be sworn in on May 29. In the past few weeks, different branches of the military have been conducting drills ahead of the inauguration ceremony.
Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Police Command has deployed human and material resources across the nooks and crannies of the Federal Capital Territory to ensure a safe and peaceful 2023 Presidential Inauguration scheduled for May 29th.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command Superintendent of Police SP Josephine Adeh, who said the deployment which consists of all Intelligence and tactical assets at the Command’s disposal, solidified with inter-agency collaboration is borne out of the need to ensure a peaceful atmosphere during the inauguration and to avert any form of threat on the nation’s democratic process.
The statement also said that the strategic operational deployment is characterized by visibility policing across the Territory, stop and search duty, intelligence-led raids on black spots, surveillance, vehicular/foot patrol, and diversions at strategic points.
Namely:
- Goodluck Jonathan Expressway by Court of Appeal
- Deeper Life Junction,
- Bond/Total Filling Station,
- POWA/FCDA Junction,
- Finance Junction by ECOWAS/Women Affairs,
6 Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
7 Eagle Square ( Phase 1 & Phase 11),
8 Kur Muhammad Way / National Mosque,
9 Abia House
10 NITEL Junction by Ademola Adetokunbo,
11 Gana Junction/Transcorp,
12 Bayelsa House by Federal High Court,
13 Aso Drive,
14 Ceddi Plaza
15 NNPC Twin Tower and
16 NNPC/NBS.
The Commissioner of Police FCT Haruna Garba equally wishes to notify the public of proposed fireworks scheduled on the eve of the inauguration, midnight of 28/05/23, at the City Gate and the Millennium Tower, to usher in the new administration. The fireworks will be carried out by Messrs Innate Arts and Media
C.P. Garba while briefing senior officers from all units and formations of the Command on the operation order, charged the officers to ensure that attention is paid to details as they discharge their duties in tandem with best global best practices and respect for Fundamental Human rights.
He equally called for vigilance and urged residents to take advantage of the Police Control Room numbers in reporting suspicious activities: 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653, and 08028940883.
“As you may be aware, the Presidential Transition Council (PTC) has unveiled the activities marking the 2023 Presidential Inauguration Ceremony. The Inauguration Parade and Swearing-in of President-Elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which is the climax of the Programme will take place on Monday, 29th May 2023 at Eagle Square, Central Business District, Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
“In line with the security arrangements for the event, the Federal Secretariat Complexes Phases I, II, III and Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be cordoned off by security operatives from 2.00 p.m. on Friday, 26th May 2023 to Monday, 29th May 2023.
“Accordingly, officers and intending visitors to the affected areas will not be allowed access till Tuesday, 30th May 2023, when work will resume in earnest,” the circular reads.
