By Mercy Peter
The Nigeria Police Force has disclosed that 45,000 personnel will be deployed across Anambra State to ensure a peaceful and credible governorship election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled Saturday, November 8, 2025 for the poll.
Speaking at the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting held on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Headquarters in Abuja, Commissioner of Police Abayomi Sogunle, who represented the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, said the deployment would cover all 21 local government areas of the state and include tactical, intelligence, and special operational units to safeguard voters, election officials, and materials.
He assured that the Police were fully prepared to guarantee the security of lives and property before, during, and after the election.
“Only federal security agencies represented in ICCES will be permitted to participate in election security operations,” Sogunle declared. “Vigilante groups and non-statutory outfits will have no role to play.”
The Commissioner further revealed that tactical units would commence deployment on November 1 to carry out pre-election operations targeted at dismantling identified threats and ensuring early stabilization of volatile areas.
He added that a comprehensive restriction of vehicular movement would be enforced on Election Day, while all entry and exit points into Anambra State would be closely monitored and secured to prevent the infiltration of criminal elements.
“Every part of Anambra will be under close surveillance. Our personnel have been instructed to act professionally, remain neutral, and ensure that every voter can exercise their franchise without fear or intimidation,” Sogunle assured.
Hassan Yahaya Abdullahi, Director of Internal Security at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), who represented the National Security Adviser (NSA), said the Federal Government had approved robust, intelligence-led security arrangements to safeguard the entire electoral process.
Abdullahi emphasized that the Anambra Governorship Election would be secured through a strategic, intelligence-driven approach rather than force, in accordance with the President’s directive for transparent and peaceful elections nationwide.
“We have put in place enhanced surveillance, sufficient deployment, and improved intelligence gathering to prevent any attempt by disruptive elements or desperate politicians to undermine the electoral process,” he stated.
He disclosed that the NSA’s office, in collaboration with relevant security and intelligence agencies, had mapped out high-risk areas and established real-time monitoring systems to enable rapid response to potential threats.
“Our priority is the safety of voters, election officials, and materials. The integrity of the process must be preserved, and the will of the people must prevail,” Abdullahi affirmed.
He further warned that any form of violence, vote buying, ballot snatching, or electoral misconductwould attract a firm and uncompromising response from the joint security task force.
“Let it be made clear: the government will not tolerate acts capable of undermining the credibility of this election or the peace of Anambra State,” he declared.
