Osun Election: PSC commends police for professionalism, orderliness

ABUJA — The Police Service Commission (PSC) has commended the Nigeria Police Force for what it described as a high level of professionalism, orderliness and cordiality during the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election.

The commission said its assessment of police conduct across the state showed that officers were generally courteous, approachable and professional while carrying out their election duties.

In an interim report released on Sunday, the PSC said its monitoring exercise covered polling units across the three senatorial districts — Osun Central, Osun East and Osun West — and all 30 Local Government Areas of the state.

The commission’s spokesman, Torty Njoku, said the exercise assessed police deployment, professionalism, compliance with election duty guidelines, inter-agency collaboration and the general conduct of officers during the poll.

According to the report, police deployment across the state was adequate and strategic, with an average of four officers deployed to each polling unit.

It said Osun Central had an average of three officers per polling unit, while Osun East and Osun West had an average of five officers each.

The PSC also noted the presence of personnel from other security and safety agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Federal Fire Service and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Others included the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy and Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

The commission said the agencies complemented the police at various polling units and at the Election Joint Operations Control Room, adding that their cooperation was cordial and contributed significantly to the peaceful conduct of the election.

Leader of the PSC Monitoring Team, DIG (Dr) Taiwo Lakanu (rtd.), expressed satisfaction with the conduct of police personnel during the exercise.

Lakanu commended the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, for what he described as an effective deployment strategy.

He specifically acknowledged the roles of DIG Isyaku Mohammed, who served as the Election DIG, and CP Samuel Erale Etaifo, the Election CP, as well as other experienced officers deployed for the election.

The PSC said its monitoring teams observed that police officers across the three senatorial districts were generally courteous, approachable and professional.

It added that the officers maintained orderliness and responded appropriately to inquiries from the monitoring teams.

“Overall, the Nigeria Police Force exhibited a high level of professionalism, orderliness and cordiality during the election,” the commission stated.

The PSC said it would continue to provide oversight to ensure that police conduct during electoral duties remained consistent with established professional standards.