Anambra Guber: IGP Deploys CP Abayomi Shogunle, 60,000 Operatives for Peaceful Election
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has deployed Abayomi Shogunle as the new Commissioner of Police in Anambra State ahead of the November 8 governorship election.
The deployment, according to the statement by SP Ikenga Tochukwu, the Public Relations Officer, Anambra State Police Command, is part of the police’s strategic operational plan to ensure a peaceful, credible, and transparent poll in the state.
Assuming duty on Tuesday, Shogunle immediately activated the IGP’s Enforcement Protocol on anti-electoral offences, vowing zero tolerance for ballot snatching, vote-buying, political thuggery, and voter intimidation.
He also directed the Electoral Offences Desk of the command to monitor social media and online platforms to track and investigate cyber-related electoral crimes for possible prosecution.
To guarantee tight security coverage, over 60,000 personnel drawn from various security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) have been deployed across the state’s 5,720 polling units, boundary routes, and collation centres.
A central command framework, according to the police, has been established to enhance real-time intelligence sharing, coordination, and rapid response during the election period.
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In a major policy directive, the new Commissioner announced a total ban on vigilante and quasi-security groups, including the Agunechemba outfit, warning that only federal security agencies are authorised to provide election security in line with the law.
He also cautioned VIPs and political figures against moving around with armed escorts or security aides near polling or collation centres, stressing that any violator would be arrested, stripped of their escorts, and prosecuted.
“Only accredited INEC officials, election observers, and journalists will be allowed to move freely between designated election zones,” Shogunle stated.
The police boss urged political actors, traditional rulers, and residents to cooperate with security agencies to sustain peace before, during, and after the election.
“Our duty is to protect democracy and the will of the people. Every stakeholder must ensure this election reflects credibility, not chaos,” Shogunle said.
The Anambra Police Command also released the CP’s official contact line — 0809-600-0079 — for citizens to report election-related security concerns or emergencies.
Police spokesman SP Ikenga Tochukwu reaffirmed the command’s readiness to act decisively against anyone plotting to disrupt the electoral process, adding that the police “will not allow any individual or group to test the resolve of the security agencies in Anambra.”
By PRNigeria
