ELECTIONS AND ELECTORAL POLICING IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper assessed the roles of the Police in securing the electoral process in Nigeria. The general conclusion drawn
from the study, which relied on secondary sources of information is that electoral policing is a crucial aspect of
electoral process in Nigeria and the Police have recorded relative achievements in securing the process from intense
violence. However, optimal effectiveness of Nigeria police in electoral security management is being curtailed by
many challenges, which included corruption, poor operational equipment, inadequate infrastructure, poor
intelligence gathering, lack of adequate knowledge of areas of operation and proliferation of illegal weapons. These
challenges need to be addressed towards peaceful conduct of elections in Nigeria.