The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) says Osogbo and Irewole Local Government Areas are rated with high overall security risks ahead of the Osun governorship election across the state on Saturday  

A pre-election statement on Friday by the Election Observation Mission (EOM), said other 11 LGAs are also rated as high risk.

It said that the areas include, Boripe, Obokun, Ilesa West, Ife Central, Ife North, Iwo, Ede North, Ifedayo, Ilesa East, Isokan and Irepodun.

It added that the remaining 17 LGAs were assessed as carrying moderate or low security risks.

“These risks are driven in the main by four interlinked acts of organised political violence linked to party-aligned thugs and youth groups; the unresolved dispute over control of LGA secretariats; criminal actors exploiting the political environment for targeted attacks and an active ecosystem pervaded by fake news, misinformation and disinformation,” the statement reads. 

It explained that the risks involved coordinated attacks on party leaders and offices, multi-location shootings, political abductions and violence during campaigns and rallies.

Nigeria Police Force has developed an operational framework for the election, with a proposal to deploy up to 30,000 security and law enforcement personnel,including specialised, tactical and canine units. 

Security personnel such as the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Federal Road Safety Corps, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, coordinated through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). 

It stated that it was concerned about the conduct of security and law enforcement personnel, including allegations of misuse of force, police brutality, illegal arrests and extra-judicial killings.

“These allegations have direct effect on public trust in the professionalism, neutrality and non-partisanship of the security and law enforcement agencies, given that these same agencies are expected to act impartially in securing the election and protecting the sanctity of the vote,” it added.