The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, has deployed Commissioner of Police (CP) Abayomi Shogunle, PhD, to oversee security operations during the forthcoming Anambra State governorship election scheduled for November 8, 2025.

The deployment was announced in a statement issued on Tuesday by the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga.

According to the statement, CP Shogunle has assumed duty in the state and activated the IGP’s Enforcement Protocol on Anti-Electoral Offences, which aims to ensure a zero-tolerance approach toward ballot snatching, vote buying, political thuggery, and voter intimidation.

Ikenga said the new CP has put in place a central command framework to enhance real-time intelligence sharing, coordination, and rapid response. The framework includes a joint deployment of over 60,000 security personnel drawn from various agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

“These personnel will secure the 5,720 polling units across the state, with tactical reserves positioned along inter-local government and state boundaries as well as at designated election collation centers,” Ikenga stated.

He added that CP Shogunle has strengthened the Electoral Offences Desk to monitor social media and online spaces for cyber-related crimes that may influence the election process, with offenders facing prompt investigation and prosecution.

The spokesperson explained that the deployment aligns with the IGP’s operational security strategy designed to guarantee a peaceful, credible, and transparent election in Anambra State.

CP Shogunle, in his directives, reiterated the ban on vigilante and quasi-security groups, such as Agunechemba, during the election period, emphasizing that only federal government security agencies are legally authorized to provide election-related security services.

He also warned that VIP movements with armed escorts or aides to polling or collation centers are strictly prohibited. Violators, he said, would face immediate arrest, withdrawal of escorts, and possible prosecution.

“Only designated INEC officials, accredited observers, and journalists are permitted to move between approved locations on election day,” the statement added.