OSUN POLL: POLICE TO DEPLOY FOUR OFFICERS TO EACH POLLING UNIT – IG
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By:Tajudeen Aminat
The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has announced that at least four police officers will be deployed to each polling unit during the upcoming Osun State governorship election.
Speaking at a meeting with civil society organisations in Abuja on Friday, Disu described the operation as one of the most extensive security deployments ever undertaken in the state.
He noted that Osun has 30 local government areas, 332 wards and 3,673 polling units, making the exercise significantly larger than the recent governorship election in Anambra State, which he said was conducted peacefully with minimal complaints.
According to the IGP, the police plan to station no fewer than four officers at every polling unit, while personnel from other security agencies will also be deployed to support election security.
“The deployment for Osun is even larger than what we had in Ekiti. The number of officers is enormous, but it reflects the growing tension surrounding the election and the fact that the state has 3,673 polling units. We intend to have no fewer than four police officers at every polling unit, alongside personnel from other security agencies,” he said.
Disu explained that the scale of the deployment was designed to reassure residents and encourage them to exercise their voting rights without fear of intimidation or violence.
He disclosed that police personnel had already begun moving into the state, particularly to locations identified as potential flashpoints, to ensure adequate security before election day.
The police chief urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully, stressing that elections should be contested through ideas and policies rather than violence.
“No political ambition is worth the loss of a single Nigerian life,” he said.
Also speaking at the meeting, Yiaga Africa Executive Director, Samson Itodo, described the August 15 Osun governorship election as a critical test for restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He identified the neutrality of security agencies, particularly the police, as a major concern among voters and election stakeholders.
According to Itodo, 13 of Osun’s 30 local government areas have been classified as high-risk due to recurring killings, violent attacks and rising political tension.
He said the pattern of violence had evolved from coordinated shootings to political abductions and attacks on state institutions, identifying Osogbo as a critical-risk area and Irewole, Iwo, Boripe, Ife Central and Ife East as other locations requiring heightened security attention.
Itodo urged the police to adopt a risk-based deployment strategy, noting that 44 violent incidents resulting in about 34 deaths were recorded across the state between June 2025 and June 2026.
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