Police Inspector General, Mr Tunji Disu has assured the voters and people of Osun State of adequate protection before, during and after the August 15 governorship election in the state.
According to him, each of the 3,000 polling units will be manned by at least four policemen, while the state generally will also be adequately manned.
Disu therefore urged voters to come out en masse to exercise their franchise without fear.
He gave the assurance on Friday, at a stakeholder engagement with civil society organisations on election security, against the backdrop of rising political violence in the state,
Also he assured the planned deployment of a robust security arrangement to protect voters, electoral personnel and other stakeholders across the state
He gave the assurance just as the Yiaga Africa identified 13 local government areas as high-risk zones and reported about 34 fatalities linked to violence so far.
On the violence in the state, the IGP said “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.”
According to him, the police had to intervene when the level of violence escalated, leading to the decision to ask the commissioner of police in the state to step aside and allow another officer to oversee election security.
He added that an assistant inspector-general in charge of Police would soon move into the state to strengthen the security arrangements for the poll.
The IGP stressed that no political contest was worth the loss of a human life, saying, “No election is worthy of losing anyone as election will come and go.”
He appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully before, during and after the election.
Disu also called on the people of Osun State to come out in large numbers to vote, assuring them that the police would provide the necessary security for them to exercise their democratic rights.
Earlier, the executive director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo described the Osun governorship election as a “litmus test” for rebuilding public trust and confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process, noting that it is the major election preceding the 2027 general elections.
Itodo raised concerns over the security situation in the state, stating that 13 local government areas had become high-risk areas due to persistent violence and killings, with 34 fatalities recorded so far.
