The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has concluded plans to address stakeholders in Osun state ahead of its governorship election slated to hold on the 16th day of July 2022.
The IGP disclose this in a statement signed by the force public-relations officer CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi on July 10, 2022.
It said the stakeholders’ event which will be held in Osogbo the Osun state capital is critical to tackling security challenges, thus ordering the deployment of adequate security senior officers alongside other security gadgets to boost operations.
‘Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) who is the supervisory DIG for the South-West Geo-Political Zone, DIG Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, psc(+), and for the Osun State Gubernatorial Election scheduled to hold on Saturday 16th July 2022. He is to be assisted by 4 Assistant Inspectors-General of Police, 4 Commissioners of Police, 15 Deputy Commissioners of Police, and 30 Assistant Commissioners of Police. Adequate police personnel of the rank of Chief Superintendents of Police and below have equally been deployed for the election.
DIG Kokumo is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Operation Order evolved from the Election Security Threat Assessment, to ensure a peaceful and conducive environment devoid of violence and to guarantee law-abiding citizens in the state of a secured space to freely perform their civic responsibilities without molestation or intimidation. Other Senior Officers deployed are tasked with coordinating human and other operational deployments in the three (3) Senatorial Districts, thirty (30) Local Government Areas, and the 3,753 polling units in Osun State. The IGP ordered the deployment of the Commissioner of Police and Provost Marshall at the Force Headquarters, CP Julius Alawari to Osun State for the election, while CP Olokode Taoheed Olawale, the Osun State Commissioner of Police has been temporarily moved to the Force Headquarters until the conclusion of the election.’
Giving details of the deployment the IGP noted that ‘the personnel, comprising conventional police officers, Police Mobile Force (PMF), Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Special Forces personnel, Explosives Ordinance Disposal Unit (EOD), Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB), INTERPOL, Special Protection Unit (SPU), Police Airwing, Public Relations Department (FPRD), as well as Police Medical Teams, will be on the ground to guarantee free, fair, credible and acceptable election. In addition, five (5) Armored Personnel Carriers for patrol as well as three (3) helicopters and 6(six) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for aerial surveillance amongst other unique operational assets were also deployed.’
It was reviewed that the operational deployment is aimed at ensuring a conducive and enabling environment to guarantee peaceful conduct of the Osun Gubernatorial election, thus reassuring the nation and the international community of the Force preparedness even as it expresses the commitment to always synergize with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), all stakeholders and other security agencies to protect democratic values in the country
