A major change has taken place in the Osun State Police Command just days before the governorship election, as the Nigeria Police Force deployed a new Commissioner of Police to oversee security operations.
The newly appointed Commissioner of Police, CP Samuel Etaifo Erale, is expected to coordinate security arrangements before, during and after the August 15, 2026 governorship election. Meanwhile, his appointment comes as political activities continue to gather momentum across Osun State.
The Osun Police Commissioner change follows the redeployment of CP Ibrahim Gotan, who has now been transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja for a special duty assignment.
According to sources familiar with the deployment, CP Erale will supervise election policing and other security operations in the state. His appointment came shortly after he was promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police and officially decorated on July 21.
A source confirmed the deployment, saying, “The newly deployed Commissioner of Police for election management in Osun State will be CP Samuel Erale.”
Furthermore, the redeployment of Gotan was reportedly approved by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and communicated through an official police wireless message sent from the Force Secretariat in Abuja.
The signal was distributed to police commands, specialised departments and formations across the country. In addition, the directive instructed all affected commands to implement the posting without delay.
The official communication stated, “INGENPOL HAS ORDERED THE POSTING OF COMPOL IBRAHIM GOTAN TO CP COMM OPS FHQ ABUJA ON SPECIAL DUTY W.E.F. X TREAT AS VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE.”
Moreover, the order confirmed that the former Osun police commissioner would report to the Office of the Commissioner of Police in charge of Communications Operations at the Force Headquarters.
As election day draws closer, residents and political stakeholders will be watching closely to see how the new police leadership manages security across the state.
