Residents of Ondo South Senatorial District will experience restrictions on vehicular movement on Saturday as the Ondo State Police Command announced heightened security measures ahead of the senatorial by-election scheduled for June 20, 2026.
The command said movement of vehicles would be restricted between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. across the district to ensure a peaceful, orderly and credible electoral process.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Felix Ohagwu, assured residents that adequate security personnel had been deployed to strategic locations, including polling units, collation centres, electoral offices and other vulnerable areas.
According to the statement, the restriction will also extend to water transportation within the affected areas during the election period.
However, accredited officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, election observers, accredited journalists, emergency responders and other persons authorised to perform election-related duties will be exempted.
The police said security operatives would maintain surveillance on both land and waterways to prevent unauthorised movements capable of disrupting the electoral exercise.
The command warned that any violation of the movement restriction or any action capable of undermining the election would attract sanctions.
It also cautioned political actors, their supporters and members of the public against engaging in violence, voter intimidation, vote-buying, thuggery and other electoral offences.
The statement stressed that individuals found violating electoral laws or engaging in activities likely to breach public peace would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Ohagwu further disclosed that the command had intensified intelligence gathering, visibility policing and coordinated operations with other security agencies to guarantee safety before, during and after the election.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the police to protecting lives and property while ensuring that the Ondo South Senatorial District by-election is conducted in a peaceful and secure atmosphere.