The Nigeria Police Force has redeployed Osun State’s Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan from the state Command and appointed Ibrahim Zungura to replace him.
The development comes less than two weeks after the conclusion of the Osun governorship election and months after Mr Gotan came under sustained criticism from political actors and civil society groups over allegations that the state police command was not impartial in handling politically sensitive matters ahead of the 15 August poll.
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The new development was confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES by the Osun State Police spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, who said the command would issue a statement containing details of the new commissioner’s deployment and Mr Gotan’s transfer.
“Yes, but we will drop a press release before the night,” the spokesperson said.
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PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Zungura was among the 17 Deputy Commissioners of Police promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police by the Police Service Commission (PSC) in July.
The Nigeria Police Force later listed him among senior officers affected by its nationwide postings. Before the latest development, he was listed as Commissioner of Police in charge of Training and Courses at the Police Academy, Kano in early August.
His appointment places him at the helm of the Osun State Command at a time when the state is still dealing with the security fallout of the 15 August governorship election, including disputes over local government control and alleged political violence.
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How Gotan became a subject of controversy
Mr Gotan’s tenure in Osun had become increasingly controversial in the months leading up to the election.
Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration had repeatedly criticised the police command, accusing it of partisan conduct and demanding that the Inspector-General of Police intervene.
In January, the state government accused the command of what it described as “unacceptable partisan conduct” over the arrest and continued detention of one of the governor’s aides.
The criticism intensified in June when Accord Party lawmakers accused Mr Gotan of failing to adequately respond to politically motivated attacks against members of the ruling party. A coalition of civil society groups also demanded his redeployment, alleging that his continued presence could undermine confidence in the policing of the election.
The police, however, did not publicly accept the allegations of partisanship against Mr Gotan.
Instead, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, later explained that the decision to remove Mr Gotan from election command followed complaints from political stakeholders who said they had lost confidence in his neutrality.
Mr Disu said the decision was not a disciplinary action against Mr Gotan but was taken to restore confidence in the command ahead of the election.
Police earlier deployed an election CP
On 31 July, PREMIUM TIMES reported Nigeria Police Force announced the deployment of Commissioner of Police Samuel Erale to Osun as the CP Elections, specifically to coordinate security operations for the August 15 governorship poll.
At the time, however, the Force clarifiedthat Mr Gotan remained the substantive Commissioner of Police in Osun and would continue to oversee routine policing activities while providing administrative and operational support to Mr Erale.
The arrangement was presented by the police as part of its strategy to ensure a peaceful and credible election.
Mr Erale was tasked with coordinating election security across the state in collaboration with other security agencies and stakeholders, while officers deployed for the election were directed to remain professional, neutral and compliant with the Code of Conduct for Security Personnel on Electoral Duty.
The arrangement was later explained by Mr Disu as an attempt to restore confidence in the police command after political parties complained about Mr Gotan’s neutrality.
Mr Erale subsequently became the face of the Nigerian police in the election security in Osun, with the police deploying thousands of personnel across the state’s 30 local government areas and polling units. On election day, he said the security situation was calm and that officers were moving across the state to monitor the exercise.
Gotan not to return after election
The latest deployment of new CP to Osun State changes the arrangement the police announced before the election.
The Force initially said Mr Gotan would remain in charge of the Osun Command and would continue routine policing after the election, but he has now been moved out of the command and replaced with Mr Zungura.
The development means that the substantive leadership of the Osun Police Command has changed after the election rather than returning to the arrangement that existed before the poll.
It also marks the latest chapter in a recurring pattern in Osun, where changes in police leadership have become closely associated with concerns about the neutrality of security agencies during governorship elections.
READ ALSO: Osun constitutes committee to disburse N500m fund to election violence victims
Redeployment of CP not the first ahead of Osun election
Mr Gotan’s redeployment is not the first time the police have changed the leadership of the Osun Command around a governorship election.
Ahead of the 2022 governorship election, then Commissioner of Police Olawale Olokode was also temporarily removed from the state command after coming under criticism over the handling of security matters.
Civil society groups and supporters of the then Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, had demanded Mr Olokode’s removal following attacks on campaign offices and allegations that the command was not acting impartially. The Nigeria Union of Journalists also demanded his redeployment after a journalist was shot by police officers while covering a protest in Osogbo.
The then Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, subsequently ordered Mr Olokode’s temporary redeployment to Force Headquarters in Abuja until the conclusion of the election. CP Julius Alawari was deployed to Osun to oversee the command during the election period.
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