Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has issued a stern and unambiguous warning to politicians and their supporters ahead of the 2027 general elections, declaring that the Nigeria Police Force will not tolerate the hiring of thugs, vote buying, the movement of arms, or threats against voters and electoral officials. Disu delivered the warning on Monday, September 21, 2026, at the opening of the 2026 Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers in Owerri, Imo State, where he also unveiled a six-point security framework designed to guide police operations throughout the entire electoral cycle.
"To politicians and their supporters, my message is simple. Compete with ideas, not with thugs," Disu declared. "Do not hire mobs, buy votes, move arms or threaten voters and electoral officials. The police will act against anyone who does that, whatever their status." The IGP made it clear that arrests alone would not suffice, stressing that the Force would work with the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate vote buying and electoral inducement. "We will also work with prosecutors so that those arrested will face trial, not just headlines," he said. "Impunity is the greatest encouragement of electoral crimes."
The warning comes as Nigeria prepares for the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections slated for February 6, 2027. With the election season approaching, the police will deploy hundreds of thousands of officers across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide. How they conduct themselves will determine whether Nigerians trust the outcome of the process, and Disu's message was directed as much at his own officers as at the political class.
The IGP's six-point framework comprises strengthened intelligence and early-warning systems, intensive training and operational preparedness, joint command and inter-agency coordination, effective communication and technology deployment, sustained community partnership, and absolute neutrality. Disu directed police commanders to map potential flashpoints and criminal networks ahead of the elections, insisting that credible intelligence must reach senior commanders in time for preventive action. "Our duty does not begin on election day. It covers the whole electoral cycle," he said. "We must prepare before the crisis, not during it." He added that the Force would treat election security as a full-cycle responsibility rather than an operation confined to polling day.
On personnel preparedness, the IGP said officers would receive specialised training in crowd management, protection of electoral personnel and materials, conflict prevention, rapid response, and human-rights-compliant policing. He placed particular emphasis on protecting ad-hoc personnel of INEC and vulnerable voters, including women, elderly citizens, and persons with disabilities. "A polling unit where these citizens feel unsafe is a polling unit where the election has already failed," he said. Disu also stressed the need for closer operational coordination between the police, INEC, and other security and law-enforcement agencies, noting that no single agency could secure an election alone.
Technology will form a central part of the strategy, with improved communication and real-time reporting expected to strengthen situational awareness and response to incidents. The IGP identified election-related misinformation as a growing threat, warning that "falsehood now travels faster than any patrol". He cited fake results, forged police statements, and inflammatory online videos as examples of content capable of sparking violence before security personnel could arrive. He urged traditional and religious leaders, youths, civil society organisations, the media, and citizens to work with the police by reporting emerging tensions and threats.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented at the conference by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, reiterated the Federal Government's expectation that the police would maintain the highest standards of professionalism and impartiality. "Every Nigerian, irrespective of political affiliation, ethnicity, religion, social status or geographical location, must feel protected by the police," the President said. He stressed that the police must not be seen as an instrument of any political interest but as a national institution serving Nigerians and protecting the constitutional order. Tinubu also charged the senior officers to use the conference to develop practical and implementable solutions that would strengthen election security and deepen public confidence.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who attended the opening ceremony alongside representatives of other security agencies and government officials, also addressed the gathering. The conference brought together senior police officers from across the country to deliberate on strategies for securing the 2027 elections and to develop a roadmap for effective management of security during the electoral process.
The IGP used the occasion to disclose the Force's operational achievements since he assumed office in February 2026. He said police operations had resulted in the arrest of 251 terrorists and suspected bandits, 343 murder suspects, 566 suspected armed robbery suspects, and 483 suspected cultists. He added that 1,066 kidnapped persons had been rescued, while 947 firearms and more than 22,000 rounds of ammunition were recovered. But he acknowledged that kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, and communal violence remained serious threats, stressing that the approach to national security would not be relaxed because of the approaching elections. "Numbers do not console a grieving family," he said. "We will not slow down on these threats because an election is coming. We will fight them and secure the elections at the same time."
The IGP's warning reflects a broader recognition within the Nigeria Police Force that the credibility of the 2027 elections will depend heavily on the conduct of security personnel and the willingness of the political class to abide by the rules. The six-point framework is designed to address both dimensions, combining operational preparedness with a clear message that neutrality is non-negotiable. For Disu, the road ahead is clear. The police will be present. They will be prepared. They will be neutral. And those who choose to test the limits of the law will do so at their own peril.
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