The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has approved the deployment of no fewer than 42,000 police personnel to ensure adequate security during the Anambra State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 2025.
Egbetokun disclosed this on Tuesday during a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) held at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Headquarters in Abuja.
Represented by the Commissioner of Police for the Special Intervention Squad, Abayomi Shogunle, the IGP said the large-scale deployment forms part of a coordinated inter-agency strategy to guarantee peace before, during, and after the polls.
“We are determined to deliver a peaceful and credible election,” Egbetokun stated. “Our deployment strategy will ensure that every part of Anambra is secured, all entry and exit points are effectively manned, and movement will be restricted on Election Day.”
He revealed that pre-election deployments would commence on November 1, noting that tactical units have been directed to carry out clearance operations across identified flashpoints in the state to neutralise threats and apprehend potential disruptors.
According to the police chief, the operational framework involves close collaboration among all recognised security agencies under ICCES — including the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Nigerian Armed Forces.
“Only security agencies officially represented in ICCES will participate in election security operations,” he clarified. “No vigilante group will be allowed to play any role in the electoral process.”
Egbetokun assured residents of Anambra that the police remain committed to professionalism, neutrality, and the protection of voters, officials, and electoral materials throughout the exercise.
The IGP also warned political actors and their supporters to shun violence and refrain from acts capable of undermining the credibility of the election, stressing that law enforcement agencies would deal decisively with anyone attempting to disrupt public order.
The upcoming Anambra governorship poll is already drawing significant attention from observers and political stakeholders, given the state’s volatile security environment and its history of electoral tension.
Egbetokun, however, maintained that the Nigeria Police Force is fully prepared to ensure that the exercise is peaceful, transparent, and credible.