The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tunji Disu, on Friday, warned that the police will go after everyone involved in the rising wave of violence in Osun State, as the country counts down to the August 15 governorship election.
Disu gave the warning during a visit to Governor Ademola Adeleke at the Government House in Osogbo, where he addressed growing concerns over killings and clashes linked to the poll.
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The IGP said he had monitored the situation in the state for months and had watched the number of deaths and violent incidents climb. He described the trend as unacceptable, insisting that an election should never be treated like a war.
According to him, security agencies have already identified the groups behind the violence, and the Commissioner of Police in the state has been ordered to move against anyone found troubling the peace.
Disu also touched on a sensitive matter: reports that suspects wanted by the police were hiding inside the Government House. He said he had been briefed on the allegation and had raised it directly, questioning why any suspect would be sheltered in such a place. He was careful to note that the police would follow due process in verifying and acting on the claim, and added that similar allegations existed against political actors from other parties as well, not just one side.
Beyond the specific allegations, the IGP made a broader appeal to parents, urging them to stop their children from being recruited as political thugs. He reminded Nigerians that only the living can benefit from the outcome of an election, a blunt but necessary reminder given how often young people are used as tools of violence and then abandoned once the votes are counted.
Why This Visit Matters
Osun is one of the most closely watched states heading into the 2027 election cycle. The contest is effectively a rematch between the Accord Party, the platform on which Adeleke is seeking re-election, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), which lost the state four years ago and is determined to reclaim it. Both parties have traded accusations of sponsoring violence to gain an advantage, and that mutual suspicion has fuelled tension on the ground.
Against that backdrop, the IGP’s visit sends a message that goes beyond Osun. It signals that the police leadership is aware elections are often the trigger for political violence in Nigeria, and that waiting until voting day to respond is too late.
By naming specific concerns, such as the alleged sheltering of suspects and the use of thugs, Disu made clear that the police intend to act on information already gathered rather than simply issue general warnings.
The governor’s response was notable as well.
Adeleke told the IGP to arrest any of his supporters found breaking the law, extending that even to his own son. Whether or not that statement translates into practice, it was a public commitment that puts pressure on his camp to avoid being seen as protecting offenders. It also gives the police cover to act without being accused of political bias, at least on paper.
A Test Of Follow-Through
The real question now is whether this warning will be backed by action. Nigeria has seen many pre-election pledges of this kind before, only for violence to continue once the political actors calculate that the cost of impunity remains low.
The specifics in Disu’s remarks, particularly the reference to mapped-out groups and the directive to the Commissioner of Police, suggest more than routine posturing. But politicians on both sides will be watching closely to see whether the police follow up with visible arrests rather than statements alone.
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For now, the IGP’s message is timely because it arrives before, not after, the worst of the violence. Whether it holds the parties in check between now and August 15 will depend less on the words spoken in Osogbo and more on what the police do with the information they say they already have.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
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