The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has issued a stern warning to political parties, candidates and their supporters ahead of the Osun State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026, insisting the exercise must be free of violence.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the Force, under Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu, cautioned that anyone who attempts to disrupt the process through violence, intimidation, or thuggery will face the full weight of the law.
The police said they were alert to the kinds of misconduct that typically mar elections, pointing to problems such as ballot snatching, voter intimidation, vote buying and clashes between rival camps, and warned that offenders — whether they carry out the acts themselves or sponsor others to do so — would be arrested and prosecuted “regardless of political affiliation or status.”
A central plank of the statement was a warning to non-state security outfits to stay away from the election entirely. The Force listed groups such as Amotekun, the Joint Civilian Task Force, vigilantes, hunters’ associations, community security groups and neighbourhood watch outfits, stating plainly that none of them has any business escorting materials, guarding polling units, mounting checkpoints or bearing arms during the exercise.
According to the statement, election security is the exclusive preserve of constitutionally recognised agencies the Police, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Immigration, the Correctional Service, the Federal Road Safety Corps and other statutory bodies who will jointly secure all 30 local government areas of the state, covering polling units, collation centres, materials, officials, journalists, observers and voters.
Political parties and candidates were separately warned against arming or deploying any unauthorised security outfit, with the Force promising that members or sponsors of such groups “will be arrested and dealt with according to the law.”
The statement reiterated a blanket ban on firearms and other dangerous or offensive materials around polling units and collation centres, except for those carried by accredited security personnel on duty. Offences such as thuggery, obstructing electoral officials, unlawful possession of election materials, hate speech and incitement to violence would attract arrest and prosecution, it added.
Commanders and officers deployed for the election have been directed to operate professionally, impartially and in line with the rule of law and respect for human rights, the Force said, while urging the public, traditional and religious leaders, civil society groups, the media and observers to report any suspicious activity to the nearest security agency.
Force spokesperson CSP Ani Iniedu, who signed the statement on behalf of the IGP, said the Police remained “neutral, professional, and resolute” and would not allow any actor to undermine a peaceful vote.
