Ahead of the February 16 elections, the Police Service Commission has approved the redeployment of 37 Commissioners of Police for the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, had recommended the redeployment of the affected officers to the PSC shortly after his appointment as the acting IG by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The PSC spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, said in a statement in Abuja on Thursday that the commission had approved the redeployment of the officers, adding that the Commissioners of Police were expected to proceed immediately to their new commands before the polls.
In the new exercise, Egbetokun Kayode whose earlier posting to Lagos State was aborted by the acting IG, was redeployed to Kwara State on Wednesday.
The FCT CP, Bala Ciroma, and his Ogun State counterpart, Ahmed Iliyasu, however, retained their positions, while Mu’azu Zubairu would take over from Edgal Imohimi in Lagos State.
The force was silent on where Imohimi would be deployed to but sources at the police headquarters said he might be posted to Abuja.
Egbetokun was the Chief Security Officer to the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, when he was the Lagos State governor.
The posting, however, did not go down well with the Peoples Democratic Party.
The PDP described it as a ploy to use the police to rig the elections in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
But in spite of this opposition, Ani said the affected Commissioners of Police should resume at their new commands before the February 16 elections.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, also alleged that Egbetokun has been instructed to cause pandemonium in Kwara to enable the APC to rig the elections.
Ologbondiyan, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, also alleged that the police officers being posted had been directed to intimidate, harass and manhandle those against Buhari’s re-election.
Ologbondiyan said, “Nigerians are aware of how Egbetokun was posted to Lagos State by the former IG, Idris Ibrahim, to serve the same partisan interest and how that posting was stopped by the new IGP. Now, he is being redeployed to Kwara State for the same ignoble plot.
“The deployment of Kayode Egbetokun as the Kwara State CP directly negates the principle of the peace accord and can only hurt the fragile peace that currently exists in the state.”
The Commissioners of Police and the states they are deployed to are: “Buba Sanusi, Katsina State; Mohammed Wakili, Kano State; Rabiu Ladodo, Jigawa State; Mu’azu Zubairu, Lagos State; Ibrahim Sabo, Niger State; Alkassam Sanusi, Taraba State; Garba M. Mukaddas, Adamawa State; Omololu Bishi, Benue State; and Bola Longe, Nasarawa State.
Others are Isaac Akinmoyede deployed to Plateau State; Odumosu Hakeem, Edo State; Olushola David, Bayelsa State; Adeleke Yinka, Delta State; Austin Iwero Agbonlahor, Cross River State; Bashir Makama, Akwa Ibom State; Awosola Awotunde, Ebonyi State; Belel Usman, Rivers State; Bello Makwashi, Gombe State; and Abdulrahman Ahmed, Kaduna State.”
The remaining CPs are Hakeem Busari, Kogi State; Asuquo Amba, Ekiti State; Galadanchi Dasuki, Imo State; Suleiman Balarabe, Enugu State; Dandaura Mustapha, Anambra State; Etim Ene Okon, Abia State; Ibrahim Kaoje, Sokoto State; Celestine Okoye, Zamfara State; Garba Danjuma, Kebbi State; Abiodun Ige, Osun State; Undie Adie, Ondo State; Olukolu Shina, Oyo State; Ali Janga, Bauchi State; Damian Chukwu, Bornu State; and Sumonu Abdulmalik, Yobe State.”