Nigeria Police Force
Encyclopedia
The Nigeria Police formerly known as the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is the national police
of Nigeria
.
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.
in 1861. In 1879 a 1,200-member armed paramilitary Hausa Constabulary was formed. In 1896 the Lagos Police was established. A similar force, 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. Northern and Southern Nigeria were amalgamated in 1914, but their police forces were not merged until 1930, forming the NPF, headquartered in Lagos. During the colonial period, most police were associated with local governments (native authorities). In the 1960s, under the First Republic, these forces were first regionalised and then nationalised.
The NPF 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. 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. Reportedly, there were 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 Babangida announced that a larger number of officers would be posted to their native areas to facilitate police- community relations.
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.
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, Kastina, and Jigaw Commands
Zone 2, Headquartered Lagos, with Lagos, and Ogun Commands
Zone 3, Headquartered Yola, with Adamawa, and Gombe Commands
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 (criminal investigations, logistics, supplies, training, and operations) under deputy inspectors general. About 2,000 constables and 400 senior police officers were dismissed by mid-1987, leaving senior police officers disgruntled.
In mid-1989 another NPF reorganization was announced after the AFRC's acceptance of a report by Rear Admiral Murtala Nyako. In 1989 the NPF 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 and Intelligence Bureau (FIIB) 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.
The Directorate of Operations was subdivided into four units under a deputy director—operations, training, communications, and the police mobile force.
The Directorate of Administration was composed of an administration unit headed by an assistant inspector general (AIG), and of budget and personnel units under commissioners.
The Directorate of Logistics had four units—procurement, workshop/transport, supply, and work/maintenance—under AIGs. The zonal arrangements were retained. However, AIGs were authorized to transfer officers up to the rank of chief superintendent, to set up provost units, to deploy mobile units, and to promote officers between the ranks of sergeant and inspector.
(FCID) is the highest investigation arm of the Nigeria Police NPF. The Department is headed by a deputy Inspector-General (DIG), currently Israel Ajao. Its primary functions include investigation and prosecution of serious and complex criminal cases within and outside the Country. The Department also coordinates crime investigations throughout the NPF. The NPF CID is divided into sections, with most of them headed by Commissioners of Police. The Sections are:
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
(FCT).
as Chairman, all the governors of the Federating states of Nigeria, the Minister of Interior, the Chairman, Police Service commission and the Inspector-General of Police as members to turn the police around and enable it to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Its head is Hon. Parry B. O. Osayande DIG (Retired) CFR, OFR, NPM, mni; Chairman, Police Service Commission.
Comet trucks delivered in 1990 Despite these purchases, an NPF study in late 1990 concluded that the force's budget must double to meet its needs.
During the Obasanjo period, an attempt was made to expand the NPF by reducing the recruitment age from nineteen to seventeen and by enrolling demobilized soldiers, but it failed. In mid-1980 the then federal police minister acknowledged that the police had recovered only 14 percent of the US$900 million worth of property reported stolen in the preceding six months, and that only 20 percent of the 103,000 persons arrested had been found guilty, a performance record about the same as that reported in the 1960s. The use of excessive violence in quelling student disorders led the AFRC in June 1986 to direct the police to use only rubber bullets in containing student riots. Reports of police collusion with criminals were common, as were official appeals to police officers to change their attitude toward the public, to be fair and honest, and to avoid corrupt practices. In an effort to reduce bribery and to make identification of offenders easier, police officers on beats and at checkpoints were not allowed to carry more than N5 on their person.
In September 2005, Nigeria withdrew 120 police officers serving in the UN Congo mission because of accusations that they had engaged in sexual abuses.
The NPF is alleged to follow a policy of "Fire for Fire" in which many captured suspects die in police custody or are "shot while attempting to escape". Decades of police and official corruption and continued failure to train police officers properly has led to a situation where extrajudicial killing is an accepted form of dealing with people the police believe to be criminals. The most recent victim of which is Yusuf Mohamed, the leader of the Boko Haram
sect in Nigeria, was alive when captured by the army.
Even before the violence surrounding the Boko Haram uprising in northern Nigeria, there were questions over the conduct of the security forces. The government is currently attempting to reform the police. They have produced a White Paper with 79 recommendations for improving the police force, which is due to be considered by the National Assembly and turned into a Police Reform Bill. Key reforms such as: Police officers are paid as little as $40 (£26) a month, this should be raised to $100 for police constables, Deal with the estimated 10,000 officers with criminal records hired between 2001 and 2004, Establish a reliable system for the public to complain about the police, better educated Recruits should attain a certain level of qualification before being considered, job applications should be transparently managed, policemen should not have to buy their own, the police are in dire need of an up-to-date communication network, and the police should be given better investigating tools and the training to use them
Comparative analysis of Offences for 2008 & 2009
The data below show the crime statistics spread sheet on offences against Persons, offences against Property, offences against Lawful Authority
and offences against Local Acts, 2009 in all the State Commands
| Offences against Persons 2008- 35,109 // 2009- 38,955 ( Increase); Offences against Property 2008- 47,626 || 2009-64, 286 (Increase);
Offences against Authority 2008- 5,938 || 2009- 7,878 (Increase); Offences against Local Acts 2008- 90,156 || 2009- 1,378 (Decrease).
An interactive website, the Nigeria Police Watch has made the reporting of crime and chronicling of police activities easier for the Nigerian public through various tools.
D+Z, a magazine focused on development, reports that Freedom Radio, a three year old weekly radio programme, is also helping to curb corruption in Kano, Dutse, and Jigawa states by allowing citizens to voice complaints and experiences. It also has a representative from the police force there to address these complaints and talk about new undertakings and normal operations of the police force. Although the number of corruption and human rights violation reports has decreased, it is a good sign because it shows that the programme is effective.
There were also in-service training schools, including the Police Mobile Force Training School at Guzuo, southwest of Abuja, the Police Detective College at Enugu, the Police Dogs Service Training Centre, and the Mounted Training Centre.
In August 1989, Babangida
laid the foundation stone for a Nigeria Police Academy (NPA) in Kano State. The NPA was to be affiliated with Bayero University
until adequate infrastructure was available for independent operation. Admission was to be regulated by merit, by the quota system, and by federal character. The commandant was to be at least an AIG and assisted by a provost who would oversee the academic program. Modeled after the Nigerian Defence Academy
in Kaduna, the NPA would offer a five-year academic and professional degree program for new cadets and an eighteen-month intensive course for college graduates aspiring to a police career. Babangida also disclosed plans to obtain technical assistance from Britain to establish a central planning and training program to modernize and upgrade police training.
resulted in at least 150 deaths in two days after a series of attacks on 26 July 2009 in several Nigeria
n cities. Bauchi
in Bauchi State
, Maiduguri
in Borno State
, Potiskum
in Yobe State
and Wudil
have all been attacked. Witnesses now claim over 250 people are dead. Nigeria claims that most of the dead are militants.
The battles began on 26 July when Boko Haram
, a militant
Islamist organisation, attacked a police station in retaliation for the arrest of its leaders. Police responded with their own retaliation and a curfew fell on the area. The attacks spread and by the next day corpses were located at police stations, people were fleeing their homes and some were being pulled from their cars to be shot dead as police stations burned to the ground.
Nigerian troops then surrounded the home of Mohammed Yusuf in Maiduguri on 28 July after his followers barricaded themselves inside.
It is the worst sectarian violence the country has experienced since November 2008. It has been suggested that politics, not religion, is the cause of the violence.
*Nigeria Police Watch
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
Authority
The Nigeria Police Force is designated by Section 194 of the 1979 constitution as the national policePolice
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
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.
History
Nigeria's police began with a thirty-member consular guard formed in Lagos ColonyLagos Colony
Lagos Colony was a British colonial possession centered on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was annexed on 6 August 1861 and declared a colony on 5 March 1862....
in 1861. In 1879 a 1,200-member armed paramilitary Hausa Constabulary was formed. In 1896 the Lagos Police was established. A similar force, the Niger Coast Constabulary, was formed in Calabar
Calabar
Calabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
in 1894 under the newly proclaimed Niger Coast Protectorate
Niger Coast Protectorate
The Niger Coast Protectorate was a British protectorate in the Oil Rivers area of present-day Nigeria, originally established as the Oil Rivers Protectorate in 1891 and confirmed at the Berlin Conference the following year, renamed on 12 May 1893, and merged with the chartered territories of the...
. In the north, the Royal Niger Company
Royal Niger Company
The Royal Niger Company was a mercantile company chartered by the British government in the nineteenth century. It formed the basis of the modern state of Nigeria....
set up the Royal Niger Company Constabulary in 1888 with headquarters at Lokoja
Lokoja
Lokoja is the capital city of Kogi State, in central Nigeria, and is a port on Niger River.-History:Founded by William Balfour Baikie according to European historical records, although there have been indigenous people living in the area for thousands of years...
. 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. Northern and Southern Nigeria were amalgamated in 1914, but their police forces were not merged until 1930, forming the NPF, headquartered in Lagos. During the colonial period, most police were associated with local governments (native authorities). In the 1960s, under the First Republic, these forces were first regionalised and then nationalised.
The NPF 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. 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. Reportedly, there were 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 Babangida announced that a larger number of officers would be posted to their native areas to facilitate police- community relations.
Organization
The NPF was under the general operational and administrative control of an Inspector General (IGP) appointed by the president and responsible for the maintenance of law and order. He was supported at headquarters in Lagos by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and in each state by police commissioners. The 1979 constitution provided for a Police Service Commission that was responsible for NPF policy, organization, administration, and finance (except for pensions), In February 1989, BabangidaBabangida
Babangida is a Nigerian surname and may refer to:*Ibrahim Babangida, former military ruler of Nigeria*Maryam Babangida, former first lady of Nigeria*Three footballer brothers**Tijani Babangida , Nigerian footballer...
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.
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
States of Nigeria
Nigeria is currently divided into 36 states and Abuja, the federal capital territory. The states are further divided into 774 Local Government Areas....
. 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, Kastina, and Jigaw Commands
Zone 2, Headquartered Lagos, with Lagos, and Ogun Commands
Zone 3, Headquartered Yola, with Adamawa, and Gombe Commands
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 (criminal investigations, logistics, supplies, training, and operations) under deputy inspectors general. About 2,000 constables and 400 senior police officers were dismissed by mid-1987, leaving senior police officers disgruntled.
In mid-1989 another NPF reorganization was announced after the AFRC's acceptance of a report by Rear Admiral Murtala Nyako. In 1989 the NPF 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 and Intelligence Bureau (FIIB) 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.
The Directorate of Operations was subdivided into four units under a deputy director—operations, training, communications, and the police mobile force.
The Directorate of Administration was composed of an administration unit headed by an assistant inspector general (AIG), and of budget and personnel units under commissioners.
The Directorate of Logistics had four units—procurement, workshop/transport, supply, and work/maintenance—under AIGs. The zonal arrangements were retained. However, AIGs were authorized to transfer officers up to the rank of chief superintendent, to set up provost units, to deploy mobile units, and to promote officers between the ranks of sergeant and inspector.
Force Criminal Investigation Department
D Department - Force Criminal Investigation DepartmentCriminal Investigation Department
The Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
(FCID) is the highest investigation arm of the Nigeria Police NPF. The Department is headed by a deputy Inspector-General (DIG), currently Israel Ajao. Its primary functions include investigation and prosecution of serious and complex criminal cases within and outside the Country. The Department also coordinates crime investigations throughout the NPF. The NPF CID is divided into sections, with most of them headed by Commissioners of Police. The Sections are:
- i. Administration
- ii. Anti-Fraud Section
- iii. The Central Criminal Registry (CCR)
- iv. Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)
- v. X-Squad
- vi. General Investigation
- vii. Special Fraud Unit (SFU)
- viii. Legal Section
- ix. Forensic Science Laboratory
- x. InterpolInterpolInterpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
Liaison - xi. Homicide
- xii. Anti-Human Trafficking Unit
- xiii. Special BranchSpecial BranchSpecial Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
CIB/SIB - xiv. Force CID Kaduna Annex
Police Mobile Force
The Police Mobile ForceNigerian Mobile Police
The Nigerian Mobile Police force is a paramilitary arm of the Nigeria Police Force and operate under orders from Nigeria's federal government.-Organization:...
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
States of Nigeria
Nigeria is currently divided into 36 states and Abuja, the federal capital territory. The states are further divided into 774 Local Government Areas....
and Federal Capital Territory
Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
The Federal Capital Territory is the home of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. The Territory was formed in 1976 from parts of former Nasarawa, Niger, and Kogi States. It is in the central region of the country...
(FCT).
Police Service Commission
The Police Service Commission (PSC) shall collaborate, cooperate and work with all the stake holders, namely the police council with the President of NigeriaPresident of Nigeria
The President of Nigeria is the Head of State and head of the national executive. Officially styled President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The current President of Nigeria is Goodluck Jonathan.-History:On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained...
as Chairman, all the governors of the Federating states of Nigeria, the Minister of Interior, the Chairman, Police Service commission and the Inspector-General of Police as members to turn the police around and enable it to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Its head is Hon. Parry B. O. Osayande DIG (Retired) CFR, OFR, NPM, mni; Chairman, Police Service Commission.
Inspector General of the Nigerian Police
| Name | Period of office |
|---|---|
| Louis Edet Louis Edet Louis Orok Edet was the Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force from 1964-1966. He was the first indigenous Nigerian to occupy the position... |
1964–1966 |
| Kam Salem Kam Salem Kam Salem was a Nigerian policeman, who became Inspector General of the Nigerian Police, a post he held from 1966-1975 during the military rule of General Yakubu Gowon.... |
1966–1975 |
| Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu Alhaji Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu is a Nigerian policeman, public servant and politician.Muhammadu Dikko Yusufu rose to the position of Inspector General of the Nigerian Police, a post he held from 1975 to 1979 during the military rules of Generals Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo... |
1975–1979 |
| Adamu Suleiman | 1979–1981 |
| Sunday Adewusi | 1981–1983 |
| Etim Inyang | 1985–1986 |
| Muhammadu Gambo-Jimeta | 1986–1990 |
| Aliyu Atta | 1990–1993 |
| Ibrahim Coomassie Ibrahim Coomassie Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, was an Inspector General of Police of Nigeria from 1993 to 1999, serving under the military governments of Generals Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar.-Background:... |
1993–1999 |
| Musiliu Smith Musiliu Smith Alhaji Musiliu Adeola Kunbi Smith, was an Inspector General of Police of Nigeria appointed in May 1999, who retired in March 2002 following a police strike.-Background:Alhaji Musiliu Smith was born on April 17, 1946... |
1999–2002 |
| Mustafa Adebayo Balogun Mustafa Adebayo Balogun Mustafa Adebayo Balogun, widely known as Tafa Balogun, was appointed Inspector General of the Nigerian Police in March 2002 and was forced to retire because of widespread charges of corruption in January 2005.-Background:... |
2002 – 2005 |
| Sunday Ehindero Sunday Ehindero -Background:Sunday Ehindero originated from Oyin-Akoko . He attended Gboluji Grammer school in Ondo State, obtained a Bachelors of Science degree from University of Ibadan and a Law Degree from the Nigerian Law School. He started his career as teacher in Abeokuta, Ogun State and transitioned into... |
2005–2007 |
| Mike Mbama Okiro Mike Mbama Okiro Sir Mike Mbama Okiro was the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force from 2007 - 2009.-Background:Mike Okiro was born on July 24, 1949 in Oguta, Imo State... |
2007–2009 |
| Ogbonna Okechukwu Onovo Ogbonna Okechukwu Onovo Ogbonna Okechukwu Onovo was appointed Inspector General of the Nigerian Police in July 2009 on the retirement of Mike Mbama Okiro.-Background:Ogbonna Okechukwu Onovo was born on 7 February 1953 in Nkanu Local Government Area of Enugu State... |
2009 - 2010 |
| Hafiz Ringim | 2010 - current |
Finances
The NPF operating budget between 1984 and 1988 remained in the N360 million to N380 million range, and in 1988 increased to N521 million. More notable were large capital expenditure infusions of N206 million in 1986 and N260.3 million in 1988, representing 3.5 and 2.5 percent of total federal capital expenditures in those years. These increases were used to acquire new communications equipment, transport, and weapons to combat the rising crime wave, such as 100 British Leyland DAFLeyland DAF
Leyland DAF was a commercial vehicle manufacturing company based in the United Kingdom, and a division of DAF NV. In 1993 DAF NV became insolvent and Leyland DAF went into receivership.-History:...
Comet trucks delivered in 1990 Despite these purchases, an NPF study in late 1990 concluded that the force's budget must double to meet its needs.
Issues
Although generally considered an attractive career, the NPF experienced endemic problems with recruiting, training, inefficiency, and indiscipline, and it lacked expertise in specialized fields. Corruption and dishonesty were widespread, engendering a low level of public confidence, failure to report crimes, and tendencies to resort to self-help. Police were more adept at paramilitary operations and the exercise of force than at community service functions or crime prevention, detection, and investigation.During the Obasanjo period, an attempt was made to expand the NPF by reducing the recruitment age from nineteen to seventeen and by enrolling demobilized soldiers, but it failed. In mid-1980 the then federal police minister acknowledged that the police had recovered only 14 percent of the US$900 million worth of property reported stolen in the preceding six months, and that only 20 percent of the 103,000 persons arrested had been found guilty, a performance record about the same as that reported in the 1960s. The use of excessive violence in quelling student disorders led the AFRC in June 1986 to direct the police to use only rubber bullets in containing student riots. Reports of police collusion with criminals were common, as were official appeals to police officers to change their attitude toward the public, to be fair and honest, and to avoid corrupt practices. In an effort to reduce bribery and to make identification of offenders easier, police officers on beats and at checkpoints were not allowed to carry more than N5 on their person.
In September 2005, Nigeria withdrew 120 police officers serving in the UN Congo mission because of accusations that they had engaged in sexual abuses.
The NPF is alleged to follow a policy of "Fire for Fire" in which many captured suspects die in police custody or are "shot while attempting to escape". Decades of police and official corruption and continued failure to train police officers properly has led to a situation where extrajudicial killing is an accepted form of dealing with people the police believe to be criminals. The most recent victim of which is Yusuf Mohamed, the leader of the Boko Haram
Boko Haram
Boko Haram is a Nigerian Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout the whole of Nigeria. The group presently has an undefined structure and chain of command...
sect in Nigeria, was alive when captured by the army.
Even before the violence surrounding the Boko Haram uprising in northern Nigeria, there were questions over the conduct of the security forces. The government is currently attempting to reform the police. They have produced a White Paper with 79 recommendations for improving the police force, which is due to be considered by the National Assembly and turned into a Police Reform Bill. Key reforms such as: Police officers are paid as little as $40 (£26) a month, this should be raised to $100 for police constables, Deal with the estimated 10,000 officers with criminal records hired between 2001 and 2004, Establish a reliable system for the public to complain about the police, better educated Recruits should attain a certain level of qualification before being considered, job applications should be transparently managed, policemen should not have to buy their own, the police are in dire need of an up-to-date communication network, and the police should be given better investigating tools and the training to use them
2008 Report Statistics
- 4% decrease in reported crime
- 36.8% decrease in offenses against Local Acts
- 18.8% decrease in offenses again Lawful Authority
- 3.6% decrease in offenses against property
- 2,433 vehicles stolen, 1,646 recovered
- 37% decrease in Road Traffic Offenses
- 66,522,000 Naira (Nigerian Currency) recovered
- Senior Police Officers: 20,613
- Investigators: 28,175
- Rank and File: 263,425
Comparative analysis of Offences for 2008 & 2009
The data below show the crime statistics spread sheet on offences against Persons, offences against Property, offences against Lawful Authority
and offences against Local Acts, 2009 in all the State Commands
| Offences against Persons 2008- 35,109 // 2009- 38,955 ( Increase); Offences against Property 2008- 47,626 || 2009-64, 286 (Increase);
Offences against Authority 2008- 5,938 || 2009- 7,878 (Increase); Offences against Local Acts 2008- 90,156 || 2009- 1,378 (Decrease).
An interactive website, the Nigeria Police Watch has made the reporting of crime and chronicling of police activities easier for the Nigerian public through various tools.
D+Z, a magazine focused on development, reports that Freedom Radio, a three year old weekly radio programme, is also helping to curb corruption in Kano, Dutse, and Jigawa states by allowing citizens to voice complaints and experiences. It also has a representative from the police force there to address these complaints and talk about new undertakings and normal operations of the police force. Although the number of corruption and human rights violation reports has decreased, it is a good sign because it shows that the programme is effective.
Training
Police training was directed from headquarters by a deputy inspector general designated as commander. Recruits were trained at police colleges in Oji River, Maiduguri, Kaduna, and Ikeja, which also offered training to other security personnel, such as armed immigration officers. The Police College at Ikeja trained cadet assistant superintendents and cadet subinspectors.There were also in-service training schools, including the Police Mobile Force Training School at Guzuo, southwest of Abuja, the Police Detective College at Enugu, the Police Dogs Service Training Centre, and the Mounted Training Centre.
In August 1989, Babangida
Babangida
Babangida is a Nigerian surname and may refer to:*Ibrahim Babangida, former military ruler of Nigeria*Maryam Babangida, former first lady of Nigeria*Three footballer brothers**Tijani Babangida , Nigerian footballer...
laid the foundation stone for a Nigeria Police Academy (NPA) in Kano State. The NPA was to be affiliated with Bayero University
Bayero University
Bayero University Kano is a university situated in Kano, Kano State, Nigeria. It was founded in 1977, when it was renamed from Bayero University College and upgraded from university college to university; in 1980 it ceased functioning as a faculty of the Ahmadu Bello University...
until adequate infrastructure was available for independent operation. Admission was to be regulated by merit, by the quota system, and by federal character. The commandant was to be at least an AIG and assisted by a provost who would oversee the academic program. Modeled after the Nigerian Defence Academy
Nigerian Defence Academy
The Nigerian Defence Academy at Kaduna is the only Military University in Nigeria.The NDA was established in January 1964 as a reformation of the British run Royal Military Forces Training College , which had been renamed the Nigerian Military Training College on independence...
in Kaduna, the NPA would offer a five-year academic and professional degree program for new cadets and an eighteen-month intensive course for college graduates aspiring to a police career. Babangida also disclosed plans to obtain technical assistance from Britain to establish a central planning and training program to modernize and upgrade police training.
2009 Nigeria religious violence
Religious violenceReligious violence
Religious violence is a term that covers all phenomena where religion, in any of its forms, is either the subject or object of violent behaviour. Religious violence is, specifically, violence that is motivated by or in reaction to religious precepts, texts or doctrines...
resulted in at least 150 deaths in two days after a series of attacks on 26 July 2009 in several Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n cities. Bauchi
Bauchi
Bauchi is a city in northeast Nigeria, the capital of Bauchi State, of the Bauchi Local Government Area within that State, and of the traditional Bauchi Emirate. The city has a population of 316,173...
in Bauchi State
Bauchi State
Bauchi State is a State in northern Nigeria. Its capital is the city of Bauchi. The state was formed in 1976 when the former North-Eastern State was broken up...
, Maiduguri
Maiduguri
Maiduguri, also fondly called Yerwa by its locals, is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad...
in Borno State
Borno State
Borno State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria. Its capital is Maiduguri. The state was formed in 1976 from the split of the North-Eastern State...
, Potiskum
Potiskum
Potiskum is a Local Government Area in Yobe State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Potiskum on the A3 highway at.It has an area of 559 km² and a population of 205,876 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 631....
in Yobe State
Yobe State
Yobe State is a state located in Northern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on August 27, 1991. Yobe state was carved out of present-day Borno State. The capital of Yobe state is Damaturu.-Geography:...
and Wudil
Wudil
Wudil is a Local Government Area in Kano State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Wudil on the A237 highway.It has an area of 362 km² and a population of 185,189 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 713....
have all been attacked. Witnesses now claim over 250 people are dead. Nigeria claims that most of the dead are militants.
The battles began on 26 July when Boko Haram
Boko Haram
Boko Haram is a Nigerian Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout the whole of Nigeria. The group presently has an undefined structure and chain of command...
, a militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
Islamist organisation, attacked a police station in retaliation for the arrest of its leaders. Police responded with their own retaliation and a curfew fell on the area. The attacks spread and by the next day corpses were located at police stations, people were fleeing their homes and some were being pulled from their cars to be shot dead as police stations burned to the ground.
Nigerian troops then surrounded the home of Mohammed Yusuf in Maiduguri on 28 July after his followers barricaded themselves inside.
It is the worst sectarian violence the country has experienced since November 2008. It has been suggested that politics, not religion, is the cause of the violence.
See also
- Nigeria Police Watch
- Nigerian Mobile PoliceNigerian Mobile PoliceThe Nigerian Mobile Police force is a paramilitary arm of the Nigeria Police Force and operate under orders from Nigeria's federal government.-Organization:...
- Petroleum in NigeriaPetroleum in NigeriaThe petroleum industry in Nigeria is the largest industry and main generator of GDP in the West African nation which is also the continent's most populous...
- Conflict in the Niger DeltaConflict in the Niger DeltaThe current conflict in the Niger Delta arose in the early 1990s over tensions between the foreign oil corporations and a number of the Niger Delta's minority ethnic groups who felt they were being exploited, particularly the Ogoni and the Ijaw...
- Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni PeopleMovement for the Survival of the Ogoni PeopleThe Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People is a campaigning organization representing the Ogoni people. Ogoniland is situated north-east of Niger Delta...
- Nigerian Security OrganizationNigerian Security OrganizationThe Nigerian Security Organization was the state security and intelligence service of the Nigerian government from 1976 to 1985.Established in 1976 by the Military regime of Olusegun Obasanjo after the failed Dimka coup--which claimed the life of former Head of State Murtala Mohammed, the NSO was...
(NSO) - State Security ServiceState Security ServiceState Security Service is the primary domestic intelligence agency of Nigeria. It is primarily responsible for the gathering of intelligence within the country and for the protection of senior government officials, particularly the President and state governors. It is one of three successor...
(SSS) - Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA)
- Cleen Foundation http://www.cleen.org/ (Cleen equals Centre for Law Enforcement EducatioN ) promotes public safety, security and justice in Nigeria through empirical research, advocacy, demonstration programmes and publications in partnership with government and civil society
- National Drug Law Enforcement AgencyNational Drug Law Enforcement AgencyThe National Drug Law Enforcement Agency is a Federal agency in Nigeria charged with eliminating the growing, processing, manufacturing, selling, exporting, and trafficking of hard drugs. The agency was established by Decree Number 48 of January l990. The NDLEA is present in international...
External links
*Nigeria Police Watch