The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu, has ordered an immediate end to political killings and violence in Osun ahead of the August 15 governorship election, while Governor Ademola Adeleke called for the arrest and prosecution of political thugs and a reshuffling of police personnel in the state.

The directive was conveyed on Thursday by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of the Force ICT Department, Adegoke Fayoade, after a closed-door meeting with Governor Adeleke at the Government House in Osogbo.

Fayoade said he was deployed to Osun by the IGP to investigate recent incidents of political violence and deliver specific operational directives to the state police command. He was accompanied by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 11, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, and other senior officers.

Delivering the IGP’s message, the DIG said the Commissioner of Police and other officers had been instructed to ensure that political violence and criminal activities were brought to an immediate halt.

“The Commissioner of Police and his men have been directed that never again should any act of brigandage take place in this state,” Fayoade said.

He added that the AIG and the Commissioner of Police had been mandated to restore public confidence by ending acts of violence that have created fear among residents.

According to him, the IGP also directed that all cases of murder, political violence, and other criminal acts be thoroughly investigated, with perpetrators arrested and prosecuted without delay.

“Any act of murder or brigandage or any unlawful act perpetrated in the state must be fully investigated. Anyone found culpable must be arrested and prosecuted without delay,” he said.

Fayoade assured residents that adequate security measures were being put in place to guarantee a peaceful governorship election, citing the conduct of recent elections in Anambra and Ekiti states as benchmarks for the police’s preparedness.

“We are not going to allow anybody to violate the law of the land and cause any havoc or uneasiness in the state,” he said.

The DIG disclosed that he had already met with officers and men of the Osun State Police Command as part of ongoing efforts to review security strategies ahead of the election.

He said the IGP had directed the command to “rise up to the occasion and put an end to all these acts that are embarrassing the country.”

Fayoade also met with the Ataoja of Osogbo to reassure traditional rulers of the police’s commitment to restoring peace and maintaining law and order across the state.

He warned against allowing criminals and political thugs to destabilise the state, stressing that economic and social activities must not be disrupted as the election draws closer.

While noting that Osun had remained relatively peaceful until the election season, the DIG said recent acts of political violence had become a source of concern for the police hierarchy.

Responding, Governor Adeleke welcomed the IGP’s intervention but insisted that ending violence must go beyond issuing directives.

The governor called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of political thugs allegedly responsible for recent killings and attacks across the state.

Adeleke also alleged that some police officers were collaborating with political thugs linked to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the situation as an “unholy partnership.”

He urged the police authorities to investigate the allegations and redeploy officers whose neutrality had been called into question to ensure a credible and peaceful governorship election. (Nigerian Tribune)