- Adeleke makes five requests, wants Ikire DPO disciplined
By John Dike, Osogbo
The new Osun State police boss, CP Ibrahim Umar D. Zungura, has pledged to work closely with the state government and other stakeholders to restore peace, strengthen security and rebuild public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.
He made the commitment on Monday when he led senior officers of the State Police Command on a courtesy visit to Governor Ademola Adeleke at the Government House, Osogbo.
The meeting came against the backdrop of heightened political tensions and security concerns that trailed the August 15 governorship election.
He assured the governor and people of the state that his administration of the command would be guided by professionalism, impartiality, fairness and respect for the rule of law.
“I promise to work with the state government for peace and stability of the state. I will be fair to all and I will prove my commitment in the next few weeks. Osun is a peaceful state and we will work to address all outstanding issues,” Zungura said.
He said his administration would seek to establish a new relationship between the police and residents, with emphasis on restoring public trust and ensuring effective protection of lives and property.
The Commissioner’s pledge came as Governor Adeleke expressed concern over the state of police-civilian relations and called for urgent reforms within the command.
Adeleke said Osun had passed through turbulent political moments and that genuine post-election peace and reconciliation had yet to be fully achieved in some parts of the state
The governor particularly raised concerns over a recent police operation in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, which he said resulted in the deaths of two persons.
According to him, the Divisional Police Officer in Ikire had been “fingered” in the incident and should face immediate disciplinary proceedings.
“Based on all details of the attacks, I request immediate commencement of disciplinary action against the DPO. He has become a threat to the people he was posted to protect,” Adeleke said.
The governor said his administration was pursuing post-election peace and reconciliation initiatives and had extended an olive branch to political stakeholders across the state.
He described Zungura’s arrival as coming at an “auspicious time,” particularly in view of what he described as a disturbing decline in public confidence in the police.
Adeleke subsequently presented five major requests to the new Commissioner, saying their implementation would help restore confidence in the police and consolidate peace in the state.
The governor’s first request was for the new police leadership to rebuild public confidence by addressing practices and conduct that had created the impression that the police were partisan or anti-people.
“Let us rebuild public trust in the police. You must make deliberate efforts to remove many areas of current police conduct that paints it as partisan and anti-people,” he said.
Secondly, Adeleke called for a stronger working relationship between the state government and the police command.
He stressed that his administration was not seeking preferential treatment from the police but expected fair and professional policing.
“The government under my watch seeks no favour other than fair policing. Your partnership with our government for rule of law is solicited,” the governor said.
The governor’s third request was the reorganisation of some internal operational structures of the command.
Adeleke alleged that some operational units had been compromised, claiming that there was a perception among residents that certain units had become a “home base of APC thugs.”
He urged the new Commissioner to dissolve and restructure operational units where necessary in order to restore public confidence and ensure that police personnel remained neutral in political matters.
The fourth request centred on the participation of the police command in meetings of the Osun State Security Council.
Adeleke said full participation by the police was essential to effective coordination of security operations and intelligence among security agencies in the state.
He alleged that the immediate past leadership of the command had not attended a State Security Council meeting since 2024.
The fifth request concerned persons arrested in connection with the post-election crisis.
Adeleke specifically appealed for the release of several Accord Party members whom he described as being held as political detainees, while urging the police to stop further arrests of members of the party.
“I also call for the release of several Accord members arrested and indeterminate as political detainees. Further arrests of our members should also stop,” he said.
The governor assured the new police leadership that his administration was prepared to support security operations in the state without attaching political conditions to such assistance.
“Our government is ready to support police operations without any string attached. What we seek is fair policing,” Adeleke stated.
The meeting is expected to mark the beginning of renewed cooperation between the Osun State Government and the police command as the state seeks to move beyond the political tensions and security challenges that followed the August 15 governorship election.
For Zungura, the challenge is to translate his pledge of impartiality and professionalism into concrete action, while Adeleke’s demands have placed renewed emphasis on police accountability, security coordination and the restoration of public confidence.
CP Ibrahim Umar D. Zungura, MSc, PSC, MNIPS, is a senior officer of the Nigeria Police Force with more than three decades of policing experience.
He was born on February 1, 1967, and joined the Nigeria Police Force on June 10, 1994. He is from Kano State and holds an LL.B and BL qualification.
Before his elevation to the rank of Commissioner of Police, Zungura served as a Deputy Commissioner of Police. He was listed in 2023 as DCP, General Investigation, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja, a position that reflected his experience in criminal investigation and police operations.
He was among 17 senior police officers promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police in July 2026. The officers were decorated by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, at the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Peacekeeping Hall, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Following his promotion,
He was initially assigned to Training and Courses at the Police Academy (POLAC), Kano, before his subsequent deployment to Osun State.
His arrival in Osun therefore comes at a critical period for the state, with the new police leadership expected to address security concerns, strengthen relations with political stakeholders and rebuild confidence between the police and the people.
With his pledge to be fair to all and work with the state government for peace and stability, attention will now turn to how the new Commissioner translates the commitment into action in the coming weeks.
