Hundreds of police officers deployed to Osun State for the August 15 governorship election have reportedly remained in the state weeks after the poll, with some personnel allegedly facing poor feeding and difficult living conditions.

Sources within the Nigeria Police Force disclosed that officers drawn from as many as 50 Police Mobile Force (MOPOL) squadrons and deployed across the state have yet to return to their respective formations.

The sources described the situation as disturbing, alleging that some of the personnel had been kept in makeshift camps under harsh conditions and left with inadequate food and other basic welfare provisions.

“There are disturbing developments that officers of the Nigeria Police Force drawn from as many as 50 Mobile Police squadrons and deployed to Osun State are still being kept there weeks after the governorship election,” one source said.

The source added that the affected personnel were “practically camped under terrible conditions, poorly fed and left sitting around with little or nothing to do.”

Another source said some of the officers were stranded around the Gbongan area of the state, raising concerns over why personnel deployed specifically for election security had allegedly not been demobilised weeks after the exercise.

The reported situation comes despite the massive security deployment announced by the police ahead of the election.

The Nigeria Police Force had said more than 15,000 officers were deployed across Osun State’s 30 local government areas to secure polling units, collation centres and other strategic locations during the election.

The deployment comprised personnel from the Police Mobile Force and other specialised units.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, had said the arrangement was designed to ensure adequate security coverage throughout the electoral process.

The police also deployed Deputy Inspector-General of Police Ishyaku Mohammed to coordinate the operation, while Assistant Inspectors-General and Commissioners of Police were assigned to the state’s three senatorial districts.

The scale of the deployment was similarly reported by independent election observers.

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room said 15,000 police personnel were deployed for the election, alongside 10,210 personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and 100 officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

However, sources familiar with developments after the election alleged that a substantial number of police personnel deployed for the poll remained in the state long after voting and collation had ended.

They claimed that the officers had effectively become stranded, with some allegedly enduring inadequate feeding and other welfare challenges.

The Osun State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.

Messages sent to his official phone contact seeking clarification on whether the officers had been withdrawn from the state and the circumstances surrounding their continued stay also received no response.