Nigeria Police Force
The Nigeria Police Force is the principal law enforcement and the lead security agency in Nigeria. It was designated by the 1999 constitution as the national police of Nigeria, with exclusive jurisdiction throughout the country. As at 2021, it had a staff strength of about 371,800. There are currently plans to increase the force to 650,000, adding 280,000 new recruits to the existing 370,000. The Nigeria Police Force is a very large organisation consisting of 36 State commands and Federal Capital Territory grouped into 17 zones and 8 administrative organs. As of July 2024, the NPF is headed by IGP Kayode Egbetokun. In 2020, it underwent major overhauls.
History
Origins
In 1879, a 1,200-member armed paramilitary Hausa Constabulary was formed. In 1896 the Lagos Police was established. More so, the Niger Coast Constabulary, was formed in Calabar in 1894 under the newly proclaimed Niger Coast Protectorate. In the north, the Royal Niger Company set up the Royal Niger Company Constabulary in 1888 with headquarters at Lokoja.When the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria were proclaimed in the early 1900s, part of the Royal Niger Company Constabulary became the Northern Nigeria Police, and part of the Niger Coast Constabulary became the Southern Nigeria Police. During the colonial period, most police were associated with local governments.
Early years
In the 1960s, under the First Republic, these forces were first regionalised and then nationalised. The Nigeria Police Force performed conventional police functions and was responsible for internal security generally; for supporting the prison, immigration, and customs services; and for performing military duties within or outside Nigeria as directed. Plans were announced in mid-1980 to expand the force to 200,000.1980s reorganization
By 1983, according to the federal budget, the strength of the NPF was almost 152,000, but other sources estimated it to be between 20,000 and 80,000. Presently, there are more than 1,300 police stations nationwide. Police officers were not usually armed but were issued weapons when required for specific missions or circumstances. They were often deployed throughout the country, but in 1989, well into Nigeria's second military dictatorship, Ibrahim Babangida announced that a more significant number of officers would be posted to their native areas to facilitate police-community relations.The 1986 NPF reorganization was occasioned by a public eruption of tensions between the police and the army. A superintendent was suspended for a time for grumbling that the army had usurped police functions and kept police pay low, and there were fights between police and army officers over border patrol jurisdiction. The armed forces chief of staff announced a thorough reorganization of the NPF into the seven new area commands and five directorates under deputy inspectors general. About 2,000 constables and 400 senior police officers were dismissed by mid-1987, leaving senior police officers disgruntled.
In late 1986, the NPF was reorganized nationwide into seven area commands, which superseded a command structure corresponding to each of the States of Nigeria. Each command was under a commissioner of police and was further divided into police provinces and divisions under local officers. NPF headquarters, which was also an area command, supervised and coordinated the other area commands. Later these Area Commands were grouped under Zone Commands as follows: Zone 1, Headquartered Kano, with Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa Commands Zone 2, Headquartered Lagos, with Lagos, and Ogun commands Zone 3, Headquartered Yola, with Adamawa, and Gombe Commands.
In mid-1989 another NPF reorganization was announced after the AFRC's acceptance of a report by Rear Admiral Murtala Nyako. In 1989 the Nigerian Police Force also created a Quick Intervention Force in each state, separate from the mobile police units, specifically to monitor political events and to quell unrest during the transition to civil rule. Each state unit of between 160 and 400 police was commanded by an assistant superintendent and equipped with vehicles, communications gear, weapons, and crowd control equipment, including cane shields, batons, and tear gas. A Federal Investigation Bureau was to be set up as the successor to the Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation; three directorates were established for operations, administration, and logistics, each headed by a deputy inspector general.
In February 1989, Ibrahim Babangida abolished the Police Service Commission and established the Nigeria Police Council in its stead, under direct presidential control. The new council was chaired by the president; the chief of General Staff, the minister of internal affairs, and the police inspector general were members. As part of the government reorganization in September 1990, Alhajji Sumaila Gwarzo, formerly SSS director, was named to the new post of minister of state, police affairs.
2020-present
In September 2020, the Nigerian National Assembly passed the Police Reform Bill 2020, which was signed into law by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on 16 September 2020. The new law, known as the Nigeria Police Act of 2020, repeals the Police Act Cap. P19. Laws of the Federation, 2004, and provides for a more effective and well-organized Police Force, driven by the principles of transparency and accountability in its operations and management of its resources. It also addresses the challenges of structuring, appointments, promotions, discipline, postings, living conditions, pension and retirement benefits of the Nigeria Police Force.Dismantlement of SARS
On 4 October 2020, Muhammed Adamu, inspector general of police, announced the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other tactical squads must stop such operations, including traffic checks, "with immediate effect." On 11 October, one week after ceasing operations, Adamu dismantled SARS. On 22 October 2020, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed in a publicly aired address that Nigeria's controversial Special Anti-Robbery Squad had been dismantled and also accused some members of SARS of committing "acts of excessive use of force" when the unit was operational. Plans were then put in place to prosecute some former Sars members for also extortion, rape, and murder. Numerous Nigerians had long accused the controversial police unit of committing acts of extortion, rape, torture and murder. After the disbandment of the SARS unit of the Nigerian police force, another tactical unit was set up called.Authority
The Nigerian Police is designated by the 1999 constitution as the national police of Nigeria with exclusive jurisdiction throughout the country. Constitutional provision also exists, however, for the establishment of separate NPF branches "forming part of the armed forces of the Federation or for their protection of harbours, waterways, railways and airfields." One such branch, the Port Security Police, was reported by different sources to have a strength in 1990 of between 1,500 and 12,000.Organization
The NPF maintains a three-tier administrative structure of departments, zonal and state commands:- Departments
- * Department of Finance and Administration
- * Department of Operations
- ** Department of Federal Operations
- ** Force Veterinary Section
- ** Border Patrol Section
- ** Police Mobile Force
- ** Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit
- ** Force Police Airwing
- ** Force Dog Section
- ** Force Mounted Troop
- ** Force Armaments Section
- ** Counter-Terrorism Unit
- ** Force Transport Section
- ** Directorate of Peacekeeping Operations
- ** National Inland Waterways
- ** Central Motor Registry
- ** Force Marine Section
- ** Special Protection Unit
- ** INEC Liaison Unit
- * Department of Logistics and Supply
- * Department of Criminal Investigation
- * Force Criminal Investigation Department
- ** Administration
- **Anti-Fraud Section
- **The Central Criminal Registry
- **Special Anti-Robbery Squad
- **X-Squad
- **General Investigation
- **Special Fraud Unit
- **Legal Section
- **Forensic Science Laboratory
- **Interpol Liaison
- **Homicide
- **Anti-Human Trafficking Unit
- **NPF- National Cybercrime Center
- **Force Intelligence Bureau
- **DCI Kaduna Annex
- **Counter Terrorism Unit
- * Department of Training and Development
- * Department of Research and Planning
- * Department of Information Technology
- Formations
- * Port Authority Police
- * Police Cooperative
- * Police Academy Kano
- * Marine Police
- * Counter Terrorism Squad
- Units
- * Nigeria Police & Sport
- * Police Air Wing
- * Police Medical Services
The Force Criminal Investigation Department is the highest criminal investigation arm of the Nigeria Police NPF. The department is headed by a Deputy Inspector-General. Its primary functions include the investigation and prosecution of severe and complex criminal cases within and outside the Country. The department also coordinates crime investigations throughout the NPF. The FCID is divided into sections, with most of them headed by Commissioners of Police.
The Police Mobile Force was established as a strike or Anti-riot unit under the control of the Inspector-General of Police to counter incidents of civil disturbance. It is designated to take over operations of major crisis where conventional police units cannot cope. There are presently 12 MOPOL Commands, MOPOLs 1 thru 12, controlling 52 Police Mobile Squadrons which are spread amongst the 36 State Commands and Federal Capital Territory.