The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba has replaced the Commissioners of Police in five States.
Their redeployment is contained in a statement on Tuesday by Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi.
The major highlight of the shakeup, announced in less than three weeks to the general elections, is the removal of the CPs in Lagos and Adamawa.
The States are home to the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar.
The new CPs are Adebola A. Hamzat (Adamawa), Emeka Frank Mba (Ogun), Suleiman A. Yusuf (Taraba), Idowu Owohunwa (Lagos) and Faleye S. Olaleye (Ebonyi).
The postings, according to the Force spokesman, are subject to the approval of the Police Service Commission (PSC).
In late January, the Lagos State Police Command dismissed speculations that Mba had been appointed as the new CP.
In Ebonyi, the police came under criticism last September after a rally for Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi was disrupted.
Operatives fired tear gas and chased Obi’s supporters, leaving some injured. The Governor Dave Umahi administration was accused of ordering the clampdown.
In response, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) asked President Muhammadu Buhari to caution governors against disallowing freedom of assembly during campaigns.
