By Ayodele Oni
The only reason Commissioner of Police, Samuel Erale Etaifo, is in Osun State, is to oversee the Governorship election coming up later in the month. Thereafter, said Force Headquarters, he will go back to his beat while CP Ibrahim Gotan returns to Osun
The clarification by the Force Headquarters is coming amidst report that Ibrahim Gotan has been transferred in the wake of allegations against him by the state government.
The Nigeria Police Force maintained that the incumbent Commissioner of Police in the state, Ibrahim Gotan, remains the substantive CP in charge of the Osun State Command.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, following widespread speculations over the deployment of Etaifo and calls from political stakeholders for the redeployment of Gotan ahead of the governorship election.
The development comes amid heightened political tension in Osun, where the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke had repeatedly demanded the removal of CP Gotan over allegations of partisanship and bias in the handling of politically sensitive matters.
The State Government had accused the Police hierarchy under Gotan of allegedly favouring the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the build-up to the election.
The calls for Gotan’s redeployment intensified after a series of controversial arrests involving members of the Accord Party, including the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye, and other government officials over allegations linked to vote buying and security breaches.
The state government had described the arrests as politically motivated and accused the police of being used to intimidate opposition figures.
The disagreement between the Osun Government and the police has dominated political discourse in recent weeks, with both the Accord Party and the APC trading accusations over alleged attacks, unlawful arrests, and the conduct of security agencies.
Several stakeholders, including civil society organisations, had also called on security agencies to maintain neutrality ahead of the election.
However, the police said the deployment of Etaifo was solely to coordinate election security operations and does not amount to the replacement of Gotan as the Commissioner of Police in the state.
According to the statement, “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to inform the general public of the deployment of Commissioner of Police, CP Samuel Erale Etaifo, to Osun State as CP Elections, in preparation for the forthcoming governorship election.
“The deployment is part of the Force’s comprehensive election security strategy aimed at ensuring a peaceful, secure, and credible electoral process.
“CP Samuel Erale Etaifo will oversee and coordinate election security operations across the state, working in collaboration with other security agencies and relevant stakeholders to safeguard voters, election officials, and electoral materials.
“The Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command, CP Ibrahim Gotan, remains in charge of the State Command and will continue to supervise routine policing activities, while providing necessary administrative and operational support for the CP Elections.
“Personnel deployed for election duties are reminded to maintain the highest standards of professionalism, neutrality, and strict compliance with the law, including the Code of Conduct for Security Personnel on Electoral Duty,” the statement stated further.
The development is not new as incumbent commissioners of police usually swap position especially during off circle election like that of Osun.
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