Police Deploy New Commissioner To Osun Ahead Of August 15 Governorship Election

A new Commissioner of Police has been deployed to Osun State ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, in a fresh security shake-up ordered by the Nigeria Police Force as preparations intensify for the poll.

Sources familiar with the development told SaharaReporters that Commissioner of Police (CP) Samuel Erale has been posted to the state to oversee policing and election security, replacing CP Ibrahim Gotan, whose removal from the Osun State Police Command was exclusively reported by SaharaReporters on Thursday.

According to credible sources, the newly deployed Commissioner of Police for election management in Osun State will be CP Samuel Erale.

The deployment comes barely days after Erale was elevated to the rank of Commissioner of Police. SaharaReporters gathered that he was officially decorated with the rank of CP on July 21, according to an official Nigeria Police Force publication seen by the newspaper.

His posting is expected to place him at the forefront of security operations for the highly anticipated governorship election scheduled for August 15.

The development follows the redeployment of the immediate past Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Gotan, whose transfer was approved by the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu.

On Thursday, SaharaReporters reported that Gotan had been removed from the Osun State Police Command following a directive contained in an official police wireless message.

A police signal exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters showed that the directive was conveyed through a police wireless message issued by the Force Secretariat, Abuja, on Thursday and marked “Most Immediate.”

The signal, referenced TH.5361/FS/FHQ/ABJ/SUB.7/, was circulated to several police formations and departments nationwide, including the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Department of Operations, Department of Information and Communication Technology, Assistant Inspectors-General of Police in Zones 1 to 17, Commissioners of Police in all states, and other specialised units.

According to the signal, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, approved Gotan’s redeployment from Osun State.

The signal read: “INGENPOL HAS ORDERED THE POSTING OF COMPOL IBRAHIM GOTAN TO CP COMM OPS FHQ ABUJA ON SPECIAL DUTY W.E.F. X TREAT AS VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE.”

The directive indicated that Gotan had been posted to the office of the Commissioner of Police in charge of Communications Operations at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, where he is to serve on special duty.

Police authorities also instructed all affected formations and commands to implement the posting immediately and accord the directive the highest priority.

The deployment of CP Erale to Osun comes as political parties, security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission continue preparations for the August 15 governorship election, with the police expected to play a central role in maintaining law and order before, during and after the exercise. (SaharaReporters)