RismadarVoice Reporters
September 24, 2026
The Nigeria Police Force has unveiled a 10-point security framework aimed at ensuring peaceful and credible conduct of the 2027 general elections.
The framework was presented at the close of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, CARSPO 2026, held in Owerri, Imo State.
The police said election security should extend beyond activities on polling day, stressing the need to identify potential flashpoints, monitor emerging threats and prevent violence before it occurs.
The 10-point framework includes:
- Full-cycle election security: Security planning and operations should cover the periods before, during and after the elections.
- Election Security Task Force: A dedicated task force with clearly defined responsibilities and effective monitoring mechanisms.
- Predictive policing: The use of intelligence, historical data and other relevant information to identify potential flashpoints early.
- Digital intelligence and artificial intelligence: Deployment of digital tools and AI to improve threat detection, investigations and security decision-making.
- Inter-agency coordination: Security agencies are expected to operate through joint assessments, coordinated planning and rapid-response mechanisms.
- Harmonised Police-INEC guidelines: The police and the Independent National Electoral Commission should maintain coordinated guidelines for election security deployments.
- Adequate funding and logistics: Provision of necessary equipment, transportation and personnel support to ensure effective election security operations.
- Protection of voters and the electoral process: Security measures should prioritise the safety of voters and the integrity of the electoral process, particularly for vulnerable groups.
- Professionalism and political neutrality: Police personnel are expected to maintain professional and politically neutral conduct, supported by appropriate training and sanctions for misconduct.
- Accountability in the use of force: Any use of force must be guided by the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality and accountability.
The framework further prioritises negotiation and de-escalation before the use of force.
It also requires every incident involving the use of force to be properly documented and subjected to review as part of efforts to strengthen accountability and public confidence in election security.
