The Nigeria Police Force has deployed more than 15,000 personnel, 30 Commissioners of Police, helicopters, and surveillance drones for Saturday’s Osun State governorship election. Concurrently, the Nigerian Army is preparing to seal state borders from midnight in a major security operation designed to counter potential violence and electoral fraud.
The extensive security measures come amid escalating political tensions. Police authorities warned that individuals caught engaging in voter intimidation, harassment of political opponents, ballot box snatching, or vote-buying will face immediate arrest and prosecution.
Briefing journalists in Osogbo, Anietie Iniedu CSP, Force Public Relations Officer, outlined the operational arrangements. He stated that a Deputy Inspector-General of Police would coordinate security operations across the state, adding that personnel had been placed on the ground three weeks before the poll.
Iniedu explained that each of the 30 local government areas in Osun would host a Police Mobile Force (PMF) unit comprising about 60 armed personnel. Operational oversight for each unit will be handled by a dedicated Commissioner of Police, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, a PMF Commander, and an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
Two additional PMF units have been posted to the Osogbo headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In addition, aerial surveillance units using police helicopters and drones have commenced operations to monitor events before, during, and after the vote.
The police confirmed that the military will establish checkpoints across all border entries into Osun from midnight on Saturday to restrict unauthorised movement. Essential services, accredited security staff, and voters travelling to polling units will be exempted from the restriction. Security operations have already yielded 34 illegal firearms, and mobile courts have been set up for the swift prosecution of electoral offenders.
The heightened security presence follows allegations of vote-buying in Osogbo. Traders at Oja Ojude Oga, Ota Efun, Igbona, and Alekuwodo markets reported that political canvassers distributed N10,000 to residents, following earlier cash disbursements of N15,000, in exchange for voting commitments.
Kola Olabisi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesperson in Osun, denied the allegations, maintaining that the ruling party did not require financial inducements to secure victory. Meanwhile, Nigerian Navy personnel reportedly arrested 12 suspected hoodlums in Ifewara who were traveling in a vehicle branded in APC colors. Olabisi stated he had yet to view video footage of the incident and would comment after reviewing it.
INEC has called on all political parties and candidates to abide by the peace accord signed ahead of the vote. Official figures show that 1,906,390 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected out of 2.3 million registered voters, representing an 81.5 percent collection rate, while 426,842 PVCs remain uncollected.
The commission confirmed that sensitive electoral materials will be moved from Central Bank of Nigeria vaults to local government offices on Friday before final distribution to Registration Area Centres. To prevent technical disruptions, INEC upgraded its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and increased backup allocations from 600 to more than 1,300 devices.
Attention now turns to whether the combined security and administrative preparations will guarantee a peaceful and credible election.
