- CARSPO 2026 in Owerri puts professionalism, intelligence and election security at centre stage
By Princely Onyenwe | News Desk
OWERRI, IMO STATE — The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has unveiled a six-pillar security roadmap for the 2027 general elections, as Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, challenged the Nigeria Police Force to maintain professionalism, neutrality and public confidence in managing the electoral process.
The positions emerged at the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, CARSPO 2026, held in Owerri, Imo State, from September 21 to 23, with the theme, “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections.” Imo hosted the strategic police conference for the third time.
Uzodinma said the integrity of an election begins with ensuring that citizens can participate without fear, intimidation or unnecessary interference, urging police officers to protect voters, candidates, rallies and electoral materials without becoming part of the political contest.
The governor also stressed that the lessons and strategies developed at CARSPO must reach every level of the Force, including the rank and file who would be deployed to communities and polling locations during elections. He said careless actions by security personnel could damage public confidence in the electoral process.
At the conference, Disu outlined six priorities that will guide police preparations for the 2027 elections: intelligence and early-warning systems; training and preparedness; joint command and inter-agency coordination; communication and technology; community partnerships; and strict political neutrality.
The IGP warned police personnel against taking sides in the elections, stressing that the Force’s responsibility is to protect citizens and enforce the law rather than determine political outcomes.
“We protect citizens and enforce the law. We do not decide political outcomes,” Disu said, warning that officers who collude with political actors, abuse their powers or take sides would be investigated and appropriately sanctioned.
He also directed Commissioners of Police to identify electoral flashpoints, criminal networks and emerging threats in their commands while strengthening early-warning systems and community-based intelligence.
Disu further warned politicians and their supporters against recruiting thugs, buying arms, intimidating voters or electoral officials and engaging in other activities capable of undermining the electoral process, saying the police would act against offenders irrespective of status.
Declaring CARSPO 2026 open on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, conveyed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening the Police ahead of the 2027 elections.
Tinubu stressed professionalism, impartiality, intelligence-led operations and effective coordination among security agencies, while pledging continued support in areas including training, technology, operational logistics, personnel welfare and institutional reforms.
The President’s position was that election security must extend beyond polling units and electoral materials to the protection of voters, electoral officials, candidates and the wider public, creating an environment in which Nigerians can participate without intimidation or violence.
The conference also featured an electoral perspective from the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who said adequate funding was critical to providing the security and logistics required for successful elections.
Amupitan said INEC’s responsibilities cover elections at the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State House of Assembly levels, as well as voter registration and political-party registration, making sustained funding and security coordination essential to the electoral process.
He also stressed the importance of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, as a mechanism for coordination among INEC, the Police and other security and government agencies.
Beyond the election roadmap, the IGP presented an operational scorecard showing that since he assumed office in February 2026, police operations had led to the arrest of 251 terrorists and suspected bandits, 343 murder suspects, 566 suspected armed-robbery suspects and 483 suspected cultists. He also reported the rescue of 1,066 kidnapped victims, alongside the recovery of 947 firearms and more than 22,000 rounds of ammunition.
CARSPO 2026 also examined intelligence-led policing, digital technology, artificial intelligence, police-community partnerships and other contemporary approaches to election security, with the objective of translating the conference deliberations into practical measures before, during and after the 2027 elections.
With the conference now concluded, attention shifts to implementation. The effectiveness of the Owerri roadmap will ultimately depend on whether its principles of neutrality, preparedness, intelligence, coordination and accountability are translated into operational conduct across police commands and down to personnel deployed during the electoral cycle.
For CARSPO 2026, the message from Owerri was therefore not only about preparing the Police for the next election, but about defining how security personnel should conduct themselves while protecting the democratic process.
The roadmap has been unveiled. The real test is whether neutrality and professionalism will follow it from the conference hall to the communities and polling units.
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