The Nigeria Police Force has redeployed the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, and appointed Ibrahim Zungura as the new Commissioner of Police in the state.
The development, which comes barely two weeks after the August 15 governorship election, follows months of controversy surrounding Gotan’s tenure, particularly allegations by political actors and civil society groups that the state police command was not impartial in handling politically sensitive issues ahead of the poll.
The Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the development, saying the command would issue an official statement on the postings.
“Yes, but we will drop a press release before the night,” Ojelabi said.
Zungura was among 17 Deputy Commissioners of Police promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police by the Police Service Commission in July.
He was subsequently listed among senior officers affected by the Force’s nationwide postings. Before his deployment to Osun, he served as Commissioner of Police in charge of Training and Courses at the Police Academy, Kano.
His appointment comes as Osun continues to grapple with security and political tensions following the governorship election, including disputes over local government administration and allegations of political violence.
Gotan’s tenure had come under increasing scrutiny in the months preceding the election.
The administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke had repeatedly accused the police command of partisan conduct and called on the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intervene.
In January, the state government criticised the command over the arrest and continued detention of one of the governor’s aides, describing the action as “unacceptable partisan conduct.”
The controversy intensified in June when Accord Party lawmakers accused Gotan of failing to adequately respond to attacks allegedly targeting members of the ruling party.
A coalition of civil society organisations also called for his redeployment, arguing that his continued presence could undermine public confidence in the police ahead of the election.
The police, however, did not publicly accept the allegations of partisanship against Gotan.
Rather, IGP Disu later explained that Gotan was removed from direct election duties following complaints from political stakeholders who expressed concerns about his neutrality.
According to Disu, the decision was not a disciplinary measure but an attempt to restore confidence in the police command ahead of the election.
POLICE EARLIER DEPLOYED ELECTION CP
Before the latest redeployment, the Force had on July 31 announced the deployment of Commissioner of Police Samuel Erale to Osun as the CP responsible for election security.
The police clarified at the time that Gotan remained the substantive Commissioner of Police in the state and would continue to oversee routine policing while providing administrative and operational support to Erale.
Earle was tasked with coordinating security operations for the August 15 poll in collaboration with other security agencies and stakeholders.
Thousands of police personnel were deployed across the state’s 30 local government areas and polling units, with officers directed to maintain professionalism, neutrality and compliance with the Code of Conduct for Security Personnel on Electoral Duty.
On election day, Erale described the security situation as calm, saying officers were deployed across the state to monitor the exercise.
GOTAN MOVED OUT AFTER ELECTION
The latest posting effectively ends the arrangement under which Gotan was expected to remain in charge of routine policing in Osun after the election.
Rather than returning to his previous role, he has now been transferred out of the command and replaced by Zungura.
The development marks a change in the substantive leadership of the Osun Police Command following the election and comes amid a history of police leadership changes in the state around governorship polls.
A similar situation occurred ahead of the 2022 Osun governorship election when then Commissioner of Police Olawale Olokode was temporarily removed from the state command following criticism over the handling of security matters.
The then Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, subsequently ordered Olokode’s temporary deployment to the Force Headquarters in Abuja until the conclusion of the election, while CP Julius Alawari was deployed to Osun to oversee the command during the poll.
