Retired Inspectors General of Police, Mike Okiro and Usman Alkali Baba, and the Police Service Commission (PSC) have urged the Nigeria Police to develop a comprehensive roadmap to confront criminal sponsorship of banditry and emerging threats like AI-generated disinformation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at the 2026 Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO) in Owerri, Imo State, themed “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections,” Okiro warned that unresolved allegations linking political, military, traditional and business interests to funding of banditry and kidnapping have eroded public trust. He proposed three pillars — unified inter-agency command, police neutrality, and welfare/accountability — and called for INTERPOL collaboration to tackle cross-border arms flow, drone use by non-state actors, attacks on INEC facilities and deepfakes.
Drawing from the 2023 polls with over 176,000 polling units and 93 million voters, Alkali Baba called for a standing, intelligence-led roadmap that institutionalises lessons from 2019, 2023 and off-cycle elections, flagging vote-buying and disinformation on WhatsApp, Facebook and TikTok as key threats. PSC Commissioner, DIG Taiwo Lakanu (Rtd), representing the PSC Chairman, lauded IGP Olatunji Disu’s reforms, citing improved welfare and the largely peaceful Osun governorship election as proof of better planning, and urged that the retreat’s outcome becomes a practical, costed plan, not a talk shop.
