The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, on Tuesday convened his first conference with senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force, bringing together top strategic managers of the force to discuss institutional priorities and national security challenges.
The meeting, held at the Peacekeeping Conference Centre, Force Headquarters, marked the first formal strategic engagement between the IGP and the senior leadership of the police since he assumed office.
According to a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, the conference was aimed at aligning operational directives, strengthening command responsibility, and setting performance benchmarks for the current police leadership.
In his opening remarks, Disu urged senior officers to demonstrate exemplary leadership, enforce discipline, and maintain the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in the discharge of their duties.
He also announced plans to strengthen internal accountability mechanisms within the force, including the Complaints Response Unit and the X-Squad, stressing that no officer should operate above the law.
The police chief reaffirmed his commitment to intelligence-led, evidence-based, and technology-driven policing. He said this would be supported by stronger inter-agency coordination, improved intelligence gathering, and greater investment in modern investigative tools.
During the conference, the IGP also inaugurated a steering committee tasked with examining the establishment of state police structures in Nigeria.
Disu described the assignment as timely, noting that the idea of state policing is being reviewed as part of broader national efforts to address evolving security challenges, bring policing closer to communities, and improve public participation in crime prevention.
The committee is expected to study policing models within and outside Nigeria, assess community security needs, and propose an operational framework for the potential establishment and coordination of state police systems. It will also examine issues related to recruitment, training, standards, resource allocation, and oversight mechanisms to ensure professionalism and public trust.
Disu clarified that the proposed state police system would not replace the Nigeria Police Force but would operate as a complementary structure within a coordinated national security framework.
The committee is chaired by Olu Ogunsakin, Director-General of the National Institute for Police Studies, with Bode Ojajuni serving as secretary. Other members include Okebechi Agora, Suleyman Gulma, Ikechukwu Okafor, Tolulope Ipinmisho and retired Commissioner of Police Emmanuel Ojukwu.
