IGP Assures UN Of Police Readiness To Secure 2027 Elections

The inspector-general of police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has assured Nigerians and the United Nations (UN) that the Nigeria Police Force will provide adequate security for the forthcoming general elections.

He hinted that the officers are undergoing intensive training to manage election-related incidents.

Disu gave the assurance yesterday when the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Santos Simão, visited him at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The IGP said the police had intensified preparations through continuous training and retraining of personnel, with emphasis on election security, crowd management and handling of incidents that could threaten the peaceful conduct of the polls.

“As I speak with you, we have embarked on training upon training of our officers. We have updated their knowledge about the elections,” he said.

He disclosed that the force was also strengthening collaboration with other security agencies, including the military, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Customs, Immigration, and the Department of State Services, to ensure coordinated security operations before, during, and after elections.

According to him, the joint training initiatives are designed to improve inter-agency cooperation and equip security personnel with the skills required to respond effectively to emerging security challenges during the electoral process.

Disu further disclosed that officers were being trained to recognise and assist persons living with disabilities to ensure their safety and unhindered participation in the electoral process.

Expressing confidence in the preparedness of the force, the IGP said: “If one of the elections starts tomorrow, the Nigerian police is ready to do what is expected of the Nigerian police.”

He assured Nigerians that the police would not fail in their constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property and maintain law and order during the elections.

Earlier, Simão warned that political competition and heightened emotions among supporters of political parties and candidates could trigger violence if not properly managed.

He said elections often pose peculiar security challenges due to intense political rivalry, stressing that the police had a critical responsibility to preserve peace and stability.

“There are emotions also, and if they are not controlled, these emotions can be too violent,” he said.

The UN representative also raised concerns about public perceptions of police impartiality during elections, urging the force to conduct itself in a manner that would sustain public confidence in the electoral process.

He noted that Nigeria’s security challenges, including terrorism and other threats, made the police’s role particularly important in ensuring peaceful elections.