FACT-CHECK: No, Inspector-General of Police Has Not Removed Osun Commissioner of Police Ahead of Governorship Election
BY: Mustapha Lawal
Claim:
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has removed the Osun State Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Gotan, ahead of the governorship election.
Verdict:
False. The Nigeria Police Force did not remove CP Ibrahim Gotan. Rather, it deployed CP Samuel Erale Etaifo as Commissioner of Police (Election) to coordinate election security, while Gotan remains the substantive Commissioner of Police in Osun State.
Full Text:
As preparations intensify for the Osun State governorship election, social media has witnessed a surge in election-related misinformation, particularly around security deployments.
One of such claims originated from an X (formerly Twitter) user, @DukeOfOsun, who posted a photograph of Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, with the caption: “The Commissioner of Police in Osun State has been removed. We thank the Inspector General of Police for listening to the voice of the people. The will of the people cannot be denied. Congratulations to the good people of Osun State.”
The post quickly gained traction, attracting over 68,000 views, more than 1,000 likes, and hundreds of comments from users questioning whether the police hierarchy had changed ahead of the election.
Given the sensitivity of security-related information during elections, FactCheckAfrica verified the claim.
Verification:
FactCheckAfrica reviewed the official statement issued by the Nigeria Police Force announcing security arrangements for the Osun governorship election.
The statement confirmed the deployment of CP Samuel Erale Etaifo to Osun State as Commissioner of Police (Election). According to the Force Headquarters, the deployment is part of the Police’s election security strategy aimed at ensuring a peaceful, secure and credible electoral process.
The Police explained that CP Etaifo would coordinate election security operations across the state in collaboration with other security agencies and election stakeholders.
However, contrary to the viral claim, the statement did not announce the removal of CP Ibrahim Gotan.
Instead, the Force specifically stated that CP Ibrahim Gotan remains the substantive Commissioner of Police in Osun State and will continue supervising routine policing activities while providing administrative and operational support for the election.
FactCheckAfrica also reviewed a separate statement issued by the Osun State Police Command, which equally clarified that CP Etaifo’s deployment is solely for election security coordination and does not replace the state’s substantive Commissioner of Police.
Election-specific deployments of senior police officers are a long-standing practice by the Nigeria Police Force during major elections. Such officers are assigned to coordinate election security operations and strengthen command structures but do not assume the substantive leadership of the state command.
Conclusion:
The claim that the Inspector-General of Police has removed Osun State Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan is false.
The Nigeria Police Force only deployed CP Samuel Erale Etaifo as Commissioner of Police (Election) to oversee election security operations. CP Ibrahim Gotan remains the substantive Commissioner of Police in Osun State and continues to head the state command.
