The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has ordered the deployment of extensive security and logistical support to ensure free, fair, and hitch-free bye-elections in 13 states scheduled for Saturday, August 16, 2025.
The elections will take place in Anambra, Kano, Oyo, Taraba, Enugu, Adamawa, Edo, Jigawa, Kogi, Ogun, Zamfara, and Niger states. Senior police officers, including Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and Commissioners of Police, have been assigned to oversee the exercise in collaboration with state police commands. Tactical units such as the Police Mobile Force, Special Intervention Squad, and Force Intelligence Department will also be on the ground.
To maintain order, the IGP has imposed a restriction on vehicular movement within affected local government areas from midnight to 6 p.m. on election day. Exceptions will be made for those on essential duties, including INEC officials, accredited media, election observers, medical emergency services, and firefighters.
Egbetokun also reiterated the ban on security aides and escorts to VIPs, barring them from accompanying principals or politicians to polling units or collation centres. State-owned security outfits, quasi-security agencies, and private guards have likewise been prohibited from participating in election security management.
The police chief urged all officers deployed to strictly follow standard operational protocols for elections and called on citizens to remain law-abiding. He assured voters that adequate security measures are in place to safeguard their right to participate in the polls without intimidation or obstruction.
