The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has warned politicians and their supporters against recruiting thugs, buying votes, moving arms or intimidating voters and electoral officials during the 2027 general elections, declaring that offenders will face the law irrespective of their political status.
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Disu issued the warning on Monday at the opening of the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, CARSPO 2026, held in Owerri, Imo State, where the Nigeria Police Force also unveiled a six-pillar framework for securing the forthcoming elections.
The conference, which runs from September 21 to 23, is themed “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections” and is intended to develop practical strategies for protecting voters, electoral officials, candidates, election materials and the public before, during and after the polls.
The opening ceremony was attended by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, representatives of other security agencies and senior government officials.
Addressing political actors, Disu urged them to base their campaigns on policies and ideas rather than violence or intimidation.
“To politicians and their supporters, my message is simple. Compete with ideas, not with thugs,” the IGP said.
He warned politicians against hiring mobs, buying votes, transporting arms or threatening voters and electoral officials, saying the police would act against anyone found violating electoral laws, regardless of status.
Disu said police action would not end with arrests, stressing that the Force would collaborate 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 other forms of electoral inducement.
According to him, the police will also work closely with prosecutors to ensure that persons arrested for electoral offences are taken before the courts rather than merely becoming subjects of media reports.
The IGP identified impunity as a major factor encouraging electoral offences and said accountability would form a central part of the police strategy for 2027.
“Impunity is the greatest encouragement of electoral crimes,” Disu said, while urging Nigerians to vote peacefully and report wrongdoing to the appropriate authorities.
He also warned police officers against political partisanship, saying personnel who collude with politicians or abuse their authority during the electoral process would be investigated and sanctioned.
Disu said the Force’s election security plan would be guided by six pillars comprising strengthened intelligence and early-warning systems, intensive training and preparedness, joint command and inter-agency coordination, effective communication and deployment of technology, sustained community partnership, and absolute political neutrality.
Under the intelligence component, police commands are expected to identify potential electoral flashpoints, criminal networks and other threats well before election day, allowing relevant formations to take preventive action rather than waiting for violence to occur.
The training and preparedness pillar is expected to focus on ensuring that officers deployed for election duties understand electoral laws, rules of engagement, crowd management requirements and their responsibility to remain politically neutral.
The inter-agency component will involve closer operational coordination among the police, INEC and other security and law-enforcement agencies, particularly in responding to electoral violence, vote-buying and other offences.
Technology and communication will also feature prominently in the strategy, with the Force seeking to improve information sharing, rapid response and the use of modern tools for election security management. The police had earlier identified digital technologies and artificial intelligence among areas to be examined at CARSPO 2026.
Disu also stressed the importance of community participation, saying cooperation between the police and citizens would assist in obtaining intelligence, identifying threats and preventing violence.
On neutrality, the IGP told senior officers that personnel must not become tools of political actors, insisting that election security must be conducted professionally and without favouring any candidate or political party.
He further directed police commanders to prioritise the protection of voters, electoral personnel and materials while ensuring that citizens are able to exercise their voting rights peacefully.
The IGP said preparations for the elections would not cause the Force to relax its response to other security threats, including kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and communal violence.
The conference forms part of the Force’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, with senior officers of the rank of Commissioner of Police and above, policing experts and relevant stakeholders expected to develop an election-security roadmap during the three-day gathering.
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