The Nigeria Police Force says it will use predictive intelligence and risk analysis to identify potential trouble spots and guide security deployments across 176,846 polling units ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dr Abayomi Shogunle, the Commissioner of Police in charge of Election Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, said preparations had already begun to ensure security during the polls.
He disclosed this during a panel discussion at the 2026 annual conference of the Guild of Corporate Publishers (GOCOP) in Lagos.
Shogunle said the police had adopted a research-based approach to election security after reviewing previous operations and identifying areas where existing strategies needed improvement.
According to him, the approach was first tested during the Anambra State governorship election, which he said was conducted in a single day without reported shootings or killings.
He also attributed an increase in voter turnout to the security measures deployed during the exercise.
“We found out that we needed to do different things. We brought in the academic angle as it is done in other countries,” Shogunle said, according to a post he shared on his X account after the conference.
Layered security strategy
The police commissioner said the force had applied crime-prevention theories, including the problem analysis triangle, which examines the relationship between an offender, a potential victim and the absence of effective guardianship.
He said the strategy was intended to identify and address conditions that could enable electoral violence before incidents occurred.
Shogunle added that similar measures were subsequently applied during elections in Abuja and Ekiti State, which he said passed without major security problems.
He also highlighted the use of deterrence measures and a multilayered security arrangement designed to prevent election-related disturbances.
The commissioner said election security planning must account for the possibility of people travelling from other states to influence or disrupt voting, even during elections limited to a single state.
He cited the geographical proximity of Ekiti to neighbouring states, including Kogi and Kwara, as one of the factors considered in planning security operations.
Police promise lawful conduct
Shogunle also stressed that police officers would operate within the law during the 2027 elections, including respecting the legal authority responsible for declaring election results.
His remarks come as preparations begin for the next general elections, with election security, public confidence and transparency expected to remain key issues.
The police have not, in the remarks reported by TVC News, provided a detailed breakdown of how many officers will be assigned to each polling unit or how personnel will be distributed across the country.
Shogunle spoke during a panel discussion titled “2027 Elections: Trust, Transparency and Shared Responsibilities” at the GOCOP conference.
The discussion followed a keynote presentation by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, who was represented at the event by the Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Ayobami Salami.
Other panellists included Professor Tayo Popoola of the University of Lagos, Dr Adaora Onyechere Sydney-Jack of Gender Agenda and WEWE Network Afrique, and Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Institute.
