The Nigeria Police Force has concluded threat analyses of every local government area and states to contain armed crimes and pre-election violence ahead of next year’s poll, the Inspector General (IGP) Olatunji Disu, said on Tuesday.

Disu spoke on the sidelines of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO) 2026, where security performances in previous elections were reviewed to identify gaps ahead of 2027.

He said training for police officers and other organisations involved in election security would begin after the workshop.

“We are prepared for the election because we have done our pre-training, our plans as usual, and so far so good. We are good to go for the election,” he said.

He also spoke on police deployment of Artificial intelligence (AI), saying officers in its cybercrime unit were being trained to counter misinformation, identify deepfakes and other internet-enabled crimes ahead of the election.

He said the service was alert to attempts by bad actors to deploy deliberate misinformation and manipulated images or videos to sway the outcome of the coming election, but expressed confidence that the police cybercrime section was prepared to respond.

“The cybercrime section of the Nigeria Police Force has been updated. Our officers have been trained to handle this issue, so we are not bothered so much about it,” he said, adding that the priority would be deploying personnel to verify claims quickly and give the public accurate information as misinformation emerged.

He disclosed that three rounds of training had already been conducted for middle-cadre and junior police officers, the ranks most likely to encounter AI-related offences in the field, and that a “sizable number” of officers were currently undergoing further training on artificial intelligence outside the country.

“By the time they come back, we’ll see changes in the operations of the Nigeria Police Force,” Disu said.

The IGP also vowed to end impunity and alleged checkpoint extortion, saying teams had already been deployed covertly in response to the allegations by farmers and truckers that extortions from too many security checkpoints were majorly responsible for rising cost of foodstuffs.

According to Disu, statistics from the Police CRU has shown a reduction in public complaints against officers, assuring of the force’s commitment to deal with anyone found wanting.

He urged the masses to route their complaints through the CRU’s contact numbers had recently been circulated.

“Whenever you complain, we act on it. Anybody arrested, police officers arrested to be doing what they are not supposed to do are punished accordingly,” he said.

On accusations that senior police officers were shielded from accountability, Disu insisted that impunity applied equally to officers and members of the public. He cited an incident three days before the interview in which a driver in Abuja ran a red light, struck officers with his vehicle while attempting to flee, and assaulted them after being stopped.

The man was arrested and arraigned in court the following day, and remanded in custody, he said.

“When we talk [about an] end to impunity, it has to do with law enforcement officers, police officers, and to every citizen in the country. Let us obey the law, let us be law abiding…” he said. (The Nation)