The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has explained that the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Ibrahim Gotan, was directed to step aside ahead of the August 15 governorship election to strengthen public confidence in the neutrality of the Nigeria Police Force. Speaking on Friday during a meeting with a delegation of civil society organisations led by YIAGA Africa Executive Director, Samson Itodo, in Abuja, Disu said the decision followed complaints from political parties over the command’s impartiality and was not a disciplinary action against the commissioner.

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He added that CP Samuel Erale Etaifo had since assumed responsibility for election security in the state, pending the arrival of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the poll.

The IGP disclosed that intelligence reports indicated a rise in politically motivated violence, with rival cult groups allegedly linked to political actors contributing to the tension. According to him, the police had responded by deploying personnel to Osun ahead of the election and engaging political parties, students and community leaders to promote peace. Disu said the Force would deploy at least 14,692 police officers across the state’s 3,673 polling units, ensuring a minimum of four officers at each polling unit. He noted that the deployment would be larger than that used during the last Ekiti governorship election due to the heightened security concerns surrounding the Osun poll.

Disu also revealed that senior police officers assigned to the election would not know their specific local government postings until the eve of the election or election day, a strategy aimed at preventing politicians from identifying and influencing security personnel. He stressed that the police would remain neutral throughout the electoral process and warned officers against compromising the election, saying those found guilty of misconduct would face disciplinary action. The IGP further urged parents to prevent their children from being used by politicians to perpetrate violence and cautioned political parties and supporters to comply with the Electoral Act, adding that politicians and other individuals would not be allowed to move around with police escorts on election day.