IGP Disu tells senior officers at Owerri retreat that policing must be “Neutral. Prepared. Present. Accountable.”
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, on Monday warned politicians against using thugs and vote-buying in the 2027 general elections. He also charged senior police officers to remain neutral and to prepare early for what he described as a critical test for the force.
Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO 2026), the sixth edition, Disu said the safety of the polls would depend heavily on the officers present. “How safe those elections are will depend heavily on the officers in this hall,” he said.
The Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State Assembly elections will be held on Saturday, February 6, 2027.
The event was hosted by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and supported by Lenders Consult Nigeria Limited. President Bola Tinubu was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume. Disu thanked the President for his support for the force in welfare, equipment, recruitment and funding, and said: “Mr President, we hear your charge for free, fair, credible and peaceful elections. The Nigeria Police Force will deliver on it.”
Disu said that since he assumed office in February 2026, officers have arrested 251 terrorists and suspected bandits, 343 murder suspects, 566 armed robbery suspects and 483 suspected cultists. They also rescued 1,066 kidnap victims and recovered 947 firearms and over 22,000 rounds of ammunition.
He admitted that insecurity persists. “Kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and communal violence still cost Nigerians their lives and their peace of mind, and numbers do not console a grieving family,” he said, adding that the force would tackle these threats while securing the elections.
The IGP had a direct message for political actors. “Compete with ideas, not with thugs,” he said, warning them against hiring mobs, buying votes, moving arms or threatening voters and electoral officials. “The Police will act against anyone who does, whatever their status.”
He said the force would work with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate vote-buying, and with prosecutors to ensure suspects are tried. “Impunity is the greatest encouragement to electoral crime,” he said.
Disu asked the retreat to build a roadmap on six pillars. The first is early warning, with intelligence systems fully activated and flashpoints and criminal networks mapped now. Commissioners, he said, must “know their communities.”
The second is training. Officers will be trained in crowd management, protection of electoral personnel and materials, conflict prevention, rapid response and human-rights-compliant policing. The training should also cover the protection of ad-hoc INEC staff and of vulnerable voters, including women, the elderly and persons with disabilities. “A polling unit where these citizens feel unsafe is a polling unit where the election has already failed,” he said.
The third pillar is joint command. “No agency secures an election alone,” he said, announcing joint exercises with INEC and sister agencies. The fourth is fast communication, with technology enabling real-time reporting and rapid response. On disinformation, Disu warned: “Falsehood now travels faster than any patrol.” He said the police would counter fake results, forged police statements and inflammatory videos, and pursue those who deliberately incite violence online.
The fifth is partnership with the people, with traditional and religious leaders, youths, civil society and the media to be consulted continuously, “not only when an election is near.” The sixth is neutrality. “We protect citizens and enforce the law. We do not decide political outcomes,” he said.
Reviewing the recent Osun election, which he described as largely peaceful, Disu acknowledged isolated incidents, reports of voter intimidation and inducement, and operational challenges. “We must ask honestly where our intelligence failed, where our response was slow, and where training or communication fell short, and then we must change what needs changing,” he said.
The IGP directed all Commissioners of Police to publish official contact numbers. “A Commissioner of Police whom the public cannot reach cannot understand the public’s fears,” he said. He also told them to supervise their officers and ensure Force Headquarters directives reach every officer through regular lectures and briefings.
On officer welfare, he directed that election-duty allowances be paid on time and that duty rotations allow rest. “Force must be a last resort, lawful and proportionate,” he said. “A well-cared-for officer is harder to compromise and less likely to overreact.”
Disu warned that any officer who takes sides, harasses voters, colludes with political actors or abuses power would be investigated and punished. He said complaints against personnel have reduced, “but it is not enough.” He urged officers to behave properly even when unobserved: “In an age of cameras and mobile phones, do what is right whether or not anyone is filming.”
Addressing Nigerians, he urged citizens to “go out, vote peacefully and report wrongdoing.” He said the Force Public Relations Department would share phone numbers for a public election complaints line by Monday, October 12, 2026.
Disu said he expects the retreat to produce a practical framework stating “who does what, when, where and how,” adding that “it must not become another document on a shelf.” He also expects a finished report for the final roadmap and an election-security task force to be completed by October 12, 2027.
Closing his address, he said Nigeria’s security “cannot be outsourced to the Police,” and that the success of the elections “cannot be left to INEC alone.” He added: “Peace is a shared duty. But the Police stand first in line, and that is our honour.”
He then led the officers in a four-word pledge: “Neutral. Prepared. Present. Accountable.”
