President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has tasked the Nigeria Police Force with ensuring that the 2027 general elections are conducted in an atmosphere of peace, security and public confidence.
Tinubu gave the charge on Monday at the 2026 Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO) in Owerri, Imo State, where he stressed the need for careful preparation, professionalism, impartiality and intelligence-led policing ahead of the elections.
The President, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, said the police had a central role to play in protecting voters, electoral officials and materials, while preventing violence, intimidation and other threats capable of undermining the electoral process.
The three-day CARSPO 2026, themed “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections,” is focused on developing strategies for managing security before, during and after the 2027 elections.
According to Tinubu, “every Nigerian, irrespective of political affiliation, ethnicity, religion, social status or geographical location must feel protected by the police.”
He urged the Force to strengthen intelligence gathering, improve response times, deepen community engagement, embrace technology and enhance inter-agency cooperation, noting that criminal networks were becoming increasingly sophisticated.
The President also charged the police to maintain the highest standards of professionalism and impartiality, stressing that the Force must be seen as a national institution serving Nigerians rather than any political interest.
He commended Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, and the leadership of the Force for efforts to reposition the police and respond to emerging security challenges, including kidnapping, terrorism, banditry, armed robbery, cultism and violent crime.
Tinubu said the Federal Government would continue to support police reforms through investment in personnel, training, technology, intelligence infrastructure, operational logistics, welfare and institutional systems.
He urged senior police officers attending the retreat to develop a practical and implementable roadmap that would strengthen election security, improve operational preparedness and deepen public confidence.
According to him, the roadmap should go beyond the 2027 elections and provide a framework for building a modern, professional, technology-enabled, intelligence-driven and citizen-centred police service capable of responding to Nigeria’s evolving security needs.
The President assured police personnel that the Federal Government recognised their sacrifices and remained committed to supporting them, while urging them to reciprocate with courage, integrity, discipline and professionalism.
At the event, IGP Disu warned politicians and their supporters against recruiting thugs, vote-buying, moving arms or threatening voters and electoral officials.
He said the police would act against offenders irrespective of their status.
“To politicians and their supporters, my message is simple. Compete with ideas, not with thugs,” Disu said.
The IGP also unveiled a six-point security roadmap for the 2027 general elections, pledging proactive intelligence gathering, intensive training, inter-agency coordination and strict accountability in protecting the electoral process.
He said the police would simultaneously tackle kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and communal violence while preparing for the elections.
“Numbers do not console a grieving family, we will not slow down on these threats because an election is coming, we will fight them and secure the elections at the same time,” he said.
Disu said the Force had recorded operational gains since he assumed office in February 2026, including the arrest of 251 terrorists and suspected bandits, 343 murder suspects, 566 armed robbery suspects and 483 suspected cultists.
He added that the police had rescued 1,066 kidnap victims and recovered 947 firearms and more than 22,000 rounds of ammunition within the period.
The IGP said the election security strategy would cover the entire electoral cycle rather than being limited to Election Day.
“Our duty does not begin on election day. It covers the whole electoral cycle,” he said. “We must prepare before the crisis, not during it.”
Under the roadmap, Disu identified early intelligence and warning systems, intensive training, joint command and coordination, rapid communication and technology, community partnerships, and police neutrality and accountability as key pillars of election security.
He directed police commanders to map potential flashpoints and criminal networks ahead of the elections, insisting that credible intelligence must reach commands early enough to facilitate timely intervention.
On personnel preparedness, Disu said officers would receive specialised training in crowd management, protection of electoral personnel and materials, conflict prevention, rapid response and human-rights-compliant policing.
He also emphasised the protection of ad hoc personnel of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and vulnerable voters, including women, elderly citizens and persons with disabilities.
“A polling unit where these citizens feel unsafe is a polling unit where the election has already failed,” he said.
The police chief called for closer coordination among the police, INEC and other security and law-enforcement agencies, stressing that no single agency could secure an election alone.
He said technology and reliable communication systems would be deployed to improve real-time reporting, situational awareness and rapid response.
Disu also said the Force would monitor and counter election-related disinformation capable of triggering violence.
“Falsehood now travels faster than any patrol,” he said, warning that fake results, forged police statements and inflammatory online videos could spark violence before security personnel arrive.
He urged traditional and religious leaders, youths, civil society organisations, the media and citizens to work with the police by reporting emerging tensions and security threats.
On police conduct, Disu reiterated that the Force would remain neutral and enforce the law without taking sides in political contests.
“We protect citizens and enforce the law, we do not decide political outcomes,” he said.
He directed Commissioners of Police to strengthen supervision in their respective commands and ensure that directives from Force Headquarters reached all personnel through regular briefings.
He also directed them to publish official contact numbers through which members of the public could reach them.
“A Commissioner of Police the public cannot reach cannot understand the public’s fears,” he said.
The IGP further directed that election-duty allowances be paid on time and duty rotations structured to provide officers with adequate rest.
He stressed that the use of force must remain lawful, proportionate and a last resort, warning that officers who took sides, harassed voters, colluded with political actors or abused their powers would face investigation and disciplinary action.
Disu said the recent Osun State election also provided lessons for the Force, including the need to review intelligence gaps, response times, training and communication challenges ahead of the 2027 polls.
He charged senior officers to return to their commands with renewed commitment to proactive policing and accountability.
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) said the Fund would continue to support the police in three critical areas — training, equipment and mobility — to strengthen election security.
He said the responsibilities placed on police personnel during elections required adequate preparation and operational capacity.
“Election security places significant demands on the Nigeria Police Force. Meeting these responsibilities requires careful planning, but planning must also be supported by capacity,” he said.
According to him, training would focus on operational readiness, crowd management, rules of engagement, coordination and professional conduct, while commanders would be prepared to manage large-scale deployments across commands and formations.
On equipment, he said police personnel required adequate protective, communication and crowd-management equipment, as well as other operational resources needed for safe and effective deployment.
“Our officers cannot be expected to perform effectively without the appropriate operational tools,” he said.
He identified mobility as another key component of election security, given the geographical spread of the country and the need to reinforce vulnerable locations and respond rapidly to incidents.
“During elections, officers must be able to deploy quickly, reinforce locations where required and respond rapidly to incidents,” he said.
The NPTF Executive Secretary, however, stressed that resources alone would not guarantee effective election security, noting that planning, accountability, coordination and leadership were equally important.
“The success of election security will depend on how effectively we plan, how well we coordinate our deployments, how responsibly we manage available resources and how quickly we respond to emerging challenges,” he said.
He said the NPTF would work with the IGP and police leadership to ensure that its interventions were aligned with operational requirements and contributed to strengthening the Force beyond the 2027 elections.
The CARSPO 2026 is expected to produce a practical framework to guide police training, deployment, command structures and conduct before, during and after the 2027 general elections.
