2027 Polls: Police Launch Clearance Operations In Kogi, Niger, Benue, Taraba
The Nigeria Police Force says it has launched clearance operations in parts of Kogi, Niger, Benue and Taraba states to stabilise security hotspots ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The disclosure came on Tuesday in Abuja as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) marked 100 days to the first ballot with a national stakeholders’ meeting and a world press conference.
Representing the Inspector-General of Police, AIG Idu Alonyenu of the Police Mobile Force said the operations were part of broader efforts to prevent security threats from disrupting citizens’ participation in the elections.
He said the police, in collaboration with the military, paramilitary and other security agencies, were reviewing their operational and tactical deployments to create a safe environment for voters.
“Our action and inaction focus is to get our citizens to come out freely, feel friendly and determined to elect their leaders,” Alonyenu said.
He said election security would cover polling venues, the movement and protection of election materials, collation centres and other critical stages of the electoral process.
According to him, the police would continue to assess the security situation ahead of the polls, with a broader review of operations expected in November and a comprehensive assessment by the end of December.
The assurance came as INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the Commission had completed nine of 14 major statutory milestones for the 2027 election.
Amupitan said INEC was preparing for elections across 176,846 polling units, with more than 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats expected to support logistics operations.
He also said 57,000 additional BVAS devices had been acquired, and that nationwide stress testing, mock accreditation, and security preparations would continue in the coming months.
The European Union, meanwhile, urged all political actors and stakeholders to reject electoral violence and misinformation, saying credible and peaceful elections were essential to strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.
The EU said it would deploy an expert electoral mission to monitor the elections and their immediate aftermath.
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