The Nigeria Police Force has announced that the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Benjamin Okolo, has officially assumed duty as the supervisory officer over all police personnel deployed for the 8 November 2025, Anambra State governorship election.
Okolo, alongside the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, Yakubu Kwazhi, represented the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, during the signing of the peace accord by political parties and at stakeholders’ engagements.
According to a press statement on Thursday by the spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, Superintendent Tochukwu Ikenga, Okolo is to oversee the operational framework, coordinate field deployments, and ensure strict adherence to the force’s rules of engagement throughout the election security operations.
The statement read in part, ‘This deployment forms part of the strategic security measures approved by the Inspector General of Police to ensure a peaceful, credible, and professionally managed election environment across Anambra State.
‘The Nigeria Police Force reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding the electoral process, protecting the rights of citizens, and ensuring that all individuals and political actors conduct themselves in accordance with the law.
‘The public is urged to remain law-abiding and to cooperate fully with Police officers and other security personnel detailed for election duties’. According to the statement, those to assist Okolo in the coordination of election security operations are AIG Akoh Gabriel, the Commissioner of Police (CP) for the Anambra Governorship Election, Abayomi Shogunle, other Commissioners of Police deployed to the 21 local government areas of the state, as well as other strategic senior officers.
It was reported that the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Anambra State election, Shogunle, disclosed that the number of security personnel deployed for the poll had now been increased from 45,000 to 55,000 officers.
According to Shogunle, the measure is intended to ensure adequate security across the state and protect both voters and electoral officials during the exercise.
He said, ‘The increase in security personnel is not to intimidate eligible voters but to ensure effective operations and safety at every polling unit. We want to guarantee voters’ confidence in coming out to cast their ballots without fear.
‘The increase is not to scare legitimate voters but to guarantee effective operations and protection of voters and electoral officials.
‘The number would be increased to 55,000 as against the initial 45,000 personnel, and they would include immigration, NDLEA, DSS, among others, and we assure you all that it would be a free fair and transparent.
‘The personnel include officers from the Nigeria Police Force, Immigration Service, NDLEA, DSS, and other sister agencies, with at least three security officers assigned to each polling unit across the state.
‘We assure the people of Anambra that the election will be free, fair, transparent, and devoid of intimidation. Our collective aim is to ensure the safety of voters, INEC officials, and all stakeholders involved.
‘What we are doing here at the Central Bank of Nigeria is the delivery of the sensitive materials, which are BIVAS, forms EC8A and EC8B, for the Saturday election’.
