Police Say Isan Ekiti Disturbance Not Linked to Elections

The Nigeria Police Force has said the disturbance in Isan Ekiti, Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State, is not related to the ongoing governorship election. They explained that the issue arose from a disagreement after a football match in the area.

During a live interview on Africa Independent Television, the Commissioner of Police for election security in Ekiti State, Abayomi Shogunle, stated that the incident had no political ties.

"The violence experienced at Isan Police Station in Oye Local Government Area resulted from a football match played in the community," Mr Shogunle said.

"The fracas started from a football match played in the community. It has nothing to do with politics or elections."

His remarks came as concerns about security heightened during the governorship election, which PREMIUM TIMES has been watching across the state.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the violence happened around 6 p.m. on Friday, with two police officers injured.

Mr Shogunle mentioned that voting continued without interruption in the area despite the disagreement.

"That same community in Isan Ekiti, election is ongoing as we speak. Despite arguments that occurred between candidates of different parties, we can now see that voting is ongoing and that argument has not disrupted the election," he said.

The police commissioner added that reports from officers stationed across the state showed that accreditation and voting were going on smoothly.

"The polling unit where I currently am, I have been informed by police officers that everything is under control. Across all the local government areas, the reports I have been receiving are that accreditation and voting are ongoing peacefully and there are no serious incidents to report," he said.

Mr Shogunle also stated that the large voter turnout seen across the state showed public trust in the security measures put in place for the election.

"During our briefing with the media two days ago, I assured a high voter turnout. What we have been seeing and observing confirms that. We have seen high voter turnout in all units," he said.

He mentioned that security agencies would keep reviewing their deployments throughout the election to ensure a peaceful process.

In the same interview, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police for Zone 2, Adegoke Fayoade, said he visited areas considered risky along the borders of Ekiti, Kogi, and Kwara states.

Mr Fayoade shared that he checked more than 10 polling units and spoke with security personnel and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

"I have spoken with security and INEC officials and there has been no report of electoral violence since the commencement of the election," he said.

When asked about the presence of other security agencies at polling centers, the police officer said the police were the main agency for election security but were collaborating with other agencies.

"The police seem to be the principal agency in charge of this election. I saw the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in one of the polling units. Every security agency is here," he said.

He added that between 30,000 and 40,000 police officers were deployed for the election.

PREMIUM TIMES correspondents across Ekiti State reported that voter turnout has been mixed, with some polling units seeing strong turnout while others had few voters.