Tunji Disu, inspector-general of Police (IGP), says four
officers will be deployed to each of the 3,673 polling units in Osun state for
the governorship election.
Speaking during a meeting with civil society organisations
working on elections at the force headquarters in Abuja on Friday, Disu
cautioned political actors against violence, thuggery, and other electoral
offences.
Disu said the police had commenced early deployment of
personnel to the state and would coordinate operations with other security
agencies as the lead agency for election security.
The inspector-general of police said Samuel Erale Etaifo, a
commissioner of police, had been deployed to take charge of election operations
in Osun, while an assistant inspector-general of police would provide senior
operational oversight.
Disu said Abayomi Shogunle, a commissioner of police, will
coordinate operations from the central monitoring centre in Abuja.
He said the force would undertake a visible deterrence
operation, including a show of force, to discourage violence and other
disruptive activities.
He stated that roadblocks and other movement-control
measures would be established to restrict unauthorised movement on election
day.
Disu said that political actors would be prevented from
moving with security aides or armed escorts on election day.
He said the police would adopt a firm and impartial approach
to electoral offences, vote buying, voter intimidation, ballot-box snatching,
and thuggery, irrespective of the political affiliation.
Disu said the force had identified the proliferation of cult
groups as a security concern.
He noted that investigations showed some groups were
recruited by political actors.
He said arrests had been made and the police would continue
enforcement action against cult and politically linked threat networks.
The meeting, attended by a coalition of civil society
organisations, presented pre-election assessments and security threat analyses
ahead of the Osun governorship election.
The coalition raised concerns over escalating political
violence and the neutrality of security agencies.
The group said 13 of the state’s 30 local government areas
had been classified as high-risk, citing reported killings, attacks, political
abductions, shootings, and violence around local government secretariats.
The coalition of the CSOs said that an assessment showed
that 34 fatalities were recorded across 44 incidents between June 2025 and June
2026.
The CSOs in attendance include: Civil Society Legislative
Advocacy Center (CISLAC), Center for Journalism, Innovation and Development
(CJID), CLEEN Foundation, and the Kukah Center.
Others are Kimpact Development Initiative, Nigerian Women
Trust Fund, Partners West Africa, TAF Africa, and Yiaga Africa.
The Osun governorship election will be held on Saturday,
August 15.
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