Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has said that the commission would not allow the use of masked security agents to safeguard the 2015 general elections.

During an interactive session he had in Abuja with both local and international Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) involved in monitoring elections in the country, the INEC boss said any security agent deployed for the election must be identifiable.

“We have witnessed an increased presence of hooded security operatives during elections. This is an emerging trend which is highly worrisome and which needs to be addressed in good time. Security agents who are deployed on election duties should not be masked, the doctrine of transparency requires that they should be identifiable,” Jega said.

“We will not allow such persons during the 2015 elections. Any security personnel deployed for the election must be someone identifiable such that if anything happens we will be able to know who to hold responsible,” he added.

The INEC Chairman however noted that the perceived over militarisation of the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states did not deter the electorates from coming out to vote for their candidates.

The two elections, according to him, proved that there was a high correlation between the massive deployment of security and the willingness of the people to come out to exercise their franchise.

•Adapted from a Daily Trust report. Photo shows Prof. Jega.