Politics
Osun election: Police deploy helicopter, drones, declare restriction
THE Nigeria Police Force has deployed helicopters, drones, mobile police personnel and other security assets across Osun State as part of intensified security measures ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Iniedu Okokon, disclosed this on Friday during a briefing at the Osun State Police Command headquarters in Osogbo, saying the aerial surveillance components had already commenced patrols across the state.
“We have commenced deployment for today again. I would like to give you some updates at this moment. As we speak, our air components have arrived. Our helicopter and drone units are on ground, and they have commenced surveillance patrols across the state,” he said.
Iniedu said one unit of the Police Mobile Force (PMF) had been deployed to each of the state’s local government areas, with the formations headed by assistant commissioners of police serving as squadron commanders.
According to him, two units of combat-ready armed PMF personnel had also been deployed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while seven units of the Special Protection Unit would provide security for the movement of sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials and protect electoral officials.
The FPRO said the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had directed that four unarmed police personnel be deployed to every polling unit in Osun.
For this election, the IGP has directed that we post four unarmed personnel to each polling booth. Osun State has over 3,700 polling units, and so we’ll be having four law enforcement personnel at each of these units for the elections,” he said.
Iniedu assured residents that the state remained calm and said the police were prepared to respond to threats during the election, noting that a restriction on vehicular movement across the state from midnight on Friday into Saturday..
“By 12 midnight on Friday into Saturday, we will be locking down the town. We will be stopping vehicular movement at all locations in Osun State,” he said.
He urged residents, particularly parents, to ensure that children are not used to participate in underage voting, electoral violence or political thuggery.
The police spokesperson also appealed to eligible voters to turn out and exercise their franchise, assuring them that adequate security arrangements had been made.
According to him, a 24-hour call centre had also been established in Osun to receive complaints, including allegations of professional misconduct by police officers and other law-enforcement personnel.
His comments come against the backdrop of growing concern over political violence in Osun ahead of the election.
In July, the police confirmed that it was investigating 30 cases of alleged politically motivated killings linked to the build-up to the August 15 election, noting that some suspects had been arrested, with some already charged in court.
The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, had earlier visited Osun amid concerns over killings and political clashes, directing security agencies to arrest and prosecute anyone found responsible for violence.
The ICIR reported that at least 73 election-related violent incidents were recorded in Osun State between October 2025 and July 2026, with 78 per cent occurring between May and July.
Meanwhile, the heightened security comes as INEC announced on Friday that it commenced the distribution of sensitive electoral materials to the state’s 30 local government areas on Thursday night.
The distribution was delayed by the production and delivery of new ballot papers and result sheets following the inclusion of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on the ballot.
The SDP was added after a court order, bringing the number of political parties contesting the governorship election to 15.
Reports said the materials arrived at the Central Bank of Nigeria facility in Osogbo before being dispatched to the various local government areas.
The ICIR reports that the heightened security has also affected normal economic and administrative activities.
Many shops remained closed, while traffic in Osogbo is unusually light, as civil servants also stayed away from the State Secretariat in Abere following the public holiday declared by the government.
Some residents said they preferred to remain indoors because of fears arising from the violence recorded during the election build-up.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.
