DIG Okolo: The Silent Enforcer Behind Anambra’s Violence-Free Election
…How strategic policing and intelligence-led coordination delivered peace at the polls
In a country where elections are often synonymous with tension and unrest, the peaceful conduct of the Anambra Governorship Election on 8 November 2025 came as a refreshing surprise.
While political analysts and observers have praised the process, one name continues to resonate behind the scenes, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Benjamin Okolo, the officer who turned the Inspector General’s vision of a secure and credible election into reality.
Tasked by IGP Kayode Egbetokun to ensure a violence-free exercise, DIG Okolo led what many now describe as one of the most disciplined and intelligence-driven security operations in Nigeria’s electoral history.
His strategy rested on three pillars: intelligence gathering, strategic deployment, and swift response, executed across all 21 local government areas of the state.
Police presence was firm but non-threatening, a calculated balance that reassured voters without creating fear.
From tactical patrols to aerial surveillance, security was tight, coordinated, and proactive.
Observers from civil society and international missions lauded the effort, noting that officers maintained professionalism, neutrality, and respect for human rights throughout the process.
DIG Okolo attributed the success to the “strategic leadership of the Inspector General of Police,” saying the peaceful outcome reflected the Force’s reforms focused on accountability and intelligence-led operations.
A key factor in the election’s success was the seamless inter-agency collaboration.
The police worked hand-in-hand with the military, DSS, and NSCDC, ensuring real-time intelligence sharing and a unified approach to potential threats.
INEC and observer groups hailed the cooperation as a “textbook example of inter-agency harmony.”
For analysts, the Anambra election proved that peace at the polls is not accidental, it is the product of planning, discipline, and professional leadership.
With minimal arrests and no major violence reported, the outcome reaffirmed the IGP’s commitment to credible elections.
“DIG Okolo’s leadership embodies what the IGP has been preaching, proactive intelligence, inter-agency cooperation, and community partnership,” a senior police source told Savinews Africa.
As head of the Force Intelligence Department, Okolo’s work in Anambra stands as a benchmark for future elections.
It showed that when firmness meets fairness, democracy thrives.
In the words of many who witnessed the polls, DIG Benjamin Okolo wasn’t just enforcing the IGP’s mandate; he was shaping a new chapter in Nigeria’s policing history, one where security protects democracy, not intimidates it.
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