OSOGBO: The newly deployed Commissioner of Police in Osun State, CP Ibrahim Umar D. Zungura, has pledged to work with the state government and other stakeholders to restore peace, strengthen security and rebuild public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.

Zungura made the commitment on Monday when he led senior officers of the Osun State Police Command on a courtesy visit to Governor Ademola Adeleke at the Government House in Osogbo.

The new Commissioner said his leadership of the command would be guided by professionalism, impartiality, fairness and respect for the rule of law.

He assured the governor and residents of Osun State that the police would work to address outstanding security and public trust concerns.

“I promise to work with the state government for peace and stability of the state. I will be fair to all, and I will prove my commitment in the next few weeks. Osun is a peaceful state, and we will work to address all outstanding issues,” Zungura said.

The Commissioner also promised to establish a stronger relationship between the police and residents, with particular emphasis on restoring public confidence and protecting lives and property.

Governor Adeleke, however, expressed concern over the state of police-civilian relations in Osun and called for urgent reforms within the command.

The governor said the state had experienced turbulent political periods and that genuine post-election peace and reconciliation had not been fully achieved in some areas.

Adeleke particularly raised concerns over a recent police operation in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, which he said resulted in the deaths of two people.

According to the governor, the Divisional Police Officer in Ikire had been “fingered” in the incident and should face immediate disciplinary proceedings.

“Based on all details of the attacks, I request immediate commencement of disciplinary action against the DPO. He has become a threat to the people he was posted to protect,” Adeleke said.

The governor said his administration was pursuing post-election reconciliation and had extended an olive branch to political stakeholders across the state.

He described Zungura’s deployment to Osun as coming at an “auspicious time”, particularly against the backdrop of what he described as declining public confidence in the police.

In his welcome address, Adeleke presented five major requests to the new Commissioner, saying their implementation would help rebuild public confidence and strengthen peace in Osun.

First, he asked the new police leadership to restore public confidence by addressing practices and conduct that had created the impression that the police were partisan or anti-people.

Second, the governor called for a stronger working relationship between the state government and the police command.

He stressed that his administration was not seeking preferential treatment but expected the police to provide fair and professional policing to all residents.

Adeleke’s third request was the reorganisation of some operational structures within the command.

He alleged that some operational units had been compromised, claiming there was a perception among residents that certain units had become a “home base of APC thugs.”

The governor urged Zungura to dissolve and restructure such units where necessary to restore public confidence and ensure police neutrality in political matters.

His fourth request concerned the participation of the police command in meetings of the Osun State Security Council.

Adeleke said the full participation of the police was necessary for effective coordination of security operations and intelligence sharing among security agencies.

He alleged that the immediate past leadership of the command had not attended a State Security Council meeting since 2024.

The fifth request focused on people arrested in connection with the post-election crisis.

Adeleke appealed for the release of several Accord Party members whom he described as political detainees, while also calling for an end to further arrests of party members.

“I also call for the release of several Accord members arrested and detained as political detainees. Further arrests of our members should also stop,” he said.

The governor assured the new police leadership that his administration would support security operations in the state without attaching political conditions to such assistance.

Our government is ready to support police operations without any strings attached. What we seek is fair policing, Adeleke stated.

CP Ibrahim Umar D. Zungura, MSc, PSC, MNIPS, is a senior Nigeria Police Force officer with more than three decades of policing experience.

Born on February 1, 1967, Zungura joined the Nigeria Police Force on June 10, 1994. He is from Kano State and holds LL.B and BL qualifications.

Before his promotion to Commissioner of Police, he served as a Deputy Commissioner of Police and was listed in 2023 as DCP, General Investigation, at the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja.

He was among 17 senior police officers promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police in July 2026.

The officers were decorated by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, at the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Peacekeeping Hall, Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Following his promotion, Zungura was initially assigned to Training and Courses at the Police Academy in Kano before his subsequent deployment to Osun State.