The Coordinating Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) for the Osun State Governorship Election, Isyaku Mohammed, has described the conduct of the election as largely peaceful, saying the security agencies have recorded about 90 per cent success in ensuring a smooth and credible exercise.

Mohammed, who spoke while giving an update on the security situation during the poll, said voting commenced as scheduled across more than 3,000 polling units, with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies deployed to the field.

According to him, security personnel have been monitoring the exercise in real time, while he personally visited several polling units and conducted an aerial patrol around Osogbo to assess the situation.

“I went out to some polling units and met voters casting their votes peacefully. Everything is going on smoothly. I also went on aerial patrol around Osogbo, and we saw people casting their votes peacefully. There was no threat or intimidation of voters,” he said.

The DIG acknowledged reports of isolated complaints from some locations, but said security authorities were investigating the reports and had established that some were genuine while others were unfounded.

He disclosed that the police had also acted on intelligence received on the eve of the election, leading to the arrest of suspected individuals allegedly brought into Osun State to participate in the voting process.

“Last night, we received an intelligence report and followed it up. Our intelligence was successful with the arrest of some people who were imported to cast their votes here. Most of them are not from this place, but we were able to round them up and resolve that issue,” Mohammed said.

He added that the police drone units had remained active throughout the election, conducting surveillance and monitoring developments across the state.

Mohammed said the security agencies had maintained regular patrols, with additional personnel on standby to respond promptly to reports of threats, violence or other emergencies.

He commended the people of Osun State for what he described as their peaceful conduct, urging residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to security agencies.

“Our men are on the ground. We have regular patrols and enough men on standby. Anywhere we hear any report of a threat during the election process, we send our men to follow up and ensure that the matter is resolved,” he said.

The DIG also cautioned members of the public against relying on unverified information circulating on social media, noting that security agencies had received several allegations and counter-allegations from political actors.

He said the Joint Operational Room established under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (IACCES) had been receiving real-time situation reports from polling units across the state.

“So far, we have not had any major issue. I will say the election has been peaceful, with no major crisis recorded. I feel this election so far is one of the best,” he stated.

Mohammed further praised the cooperation among the various security agencies deployed for the election, saying the police had also received commendation from civil society groups for their deployment and emergency response.

He disclosed that Commissioners of Police had been assigned responsibility for each of the 30 local government areas in the state and were on the ground to supervise security operations.

“We are here to make sure that the people of Osun cast their votes without intimidation. Any issue that could lead to escalation, we try to avoid it. We are managing the situation, and so far, people are going about their voting exercise, and we are happy about that,” he said.

The DIG assured voters and electoral personnel that the police would continue to protect the process, particularly the ad-hoc staff of INEC, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

He said security agencies would leave no stone unturned to ensure the safety of electoral personnel and voters until the conclusion of the election.