By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Civil society organisations working on elections on Friday met with the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, in Abuja to raise concerns over pre-election violence and the conduct of security personnel ahead of the August 15 Osun governorship election.
Persecondnews correspondent reports that at the stakeholder engagement held at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on Friday, the organisations sought stronger security measures to protect voters and ensure that security personnel conduct themselves professionally before, during and after the election.
Responding to the concerns, Disu assured Osun residents of adequate police protection, urging them to come out and exercise their franchise without fear as the state prepares for the governorship poll.
The IGP said the police had developed a robust security arrangement covering more than 3,000 polling units, with at least four officers to be deployed to each polling location.
“We are going to operate with the other security agencies who are going to support us very well. A great number of officers have been prepared for this election,” Disu said.
The police chief said the deployment was designed to protect voters, electoral personnel and other stakeholders, while ensuring that officers could respond promptly to incidents during the election.
Disu also addressed the violence that has characterised the state’s political environment, linking some of the clashes to existing cult-related tensions exploited by rival political groups.
“We have issues of cultism in Osun already. It became easier for different parties to attack each other using the existing animosity in the state,” he said.
According to him, the police intervened after the level of violence escalated, leading to a decision for the Commissioner of Police in Osun to step aside and allow another officer to oversee election security.
He added that an Assistant Inspector-General of Police would soon move into the state to strengthen security arrangements and provide additional operational support for the poll.
Disu appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to reject violence and conduct themselves responsibly, stressing that political competition must not threaten the lives of citizens.
“No election is worthy of losing anyone as election will come and go. Political ambition is not worth the loss of a human life,” the IGP said.
He also urged voters not to be discouraged by security concerns, assuring them that police officers and other security personnel had been deployed to keep them safe.
“I encourage the people of the state to come out peacefully and confidently to cast their votes because our goal is to ensure we keep safe for everybody,” Disu said.
The IGP warned police personnel deployed for the election against compromising their responsibilities, stressing that officers found violating the law or engaging in misconduct would face sanctions.
“Officers found to have compromised the law will be sanctioned. I’m not going to put any officer behind the door and say this is what we are going to do there. Go there and do the proper way,” he warned.
Disu reaffirmed the neutrality of the police, saying officers had been directed to perform their duties professionally and without taking sides in the political contest.
“Our jobs are precious to us. We have dependents, families, children to join them in this job that we are doing. At the same time, I will not take sides,” he said.
He called on civil society organisations to continue voter education, electoral advocacy and monitoring, while urging them to share important security information with the police through established communication channels.
The police chief also appealed to the media to verify information before publication, warning that unconfirmed reports could create unnecessary fear and contribute to tension during the electoral process.
“Watch what is published. We do not have another country. We have only Nigeria to keep,” Disu said, urging stakeholders to protect public confidence in the election.
Earlier, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said the engagement was important because of the security risks surrounding the election, describing the poll as a “litmus test” ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Itodo said Yiaga Africa had identified 13 local government areas as high-risk because of persistent violence and killings, with about 34 fatalities recorded so far.
He identified Osogbo and Irewole as critical-risk areas, while Iwo, Boripe, Ife Central and Ife East were among the high-risk areas requiring heightened security attention.
Itodo urged the police and other security agencies to remain neutral, resist attempts to manipulate the election and ensure that political parties, candidates and supporters were treated fairly.
Persecondnews also reports that he warned that the conduct of security personnel would be crucial to determining whether voters would have confidence in the electoral process and called for measures that would strengthen public trust.