Kayode Egbetokun, the acting inspector-general of police (IGP), says Nigeria must recruit an additional 190,000 officers to secure the country adequately.
According to NAN, Egbetokun spoke on Wednesday at the defence week for the senior executive course (SEC) 45 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Jos, Plateau state.
He said the required figure is needed to match the ratio of police to population recommended by the United Nations (UN).
Nigeria’s current police strength is just over 370,000 officers which is insufficient based on a ratio of one police officer to about 600 citizens.
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The UN-recommended ratio is one police officer to almost 450 citizens.
To meet up with the benchmark, Egbetokun said the federal government needs to increase the annual recruitment quota of police personnel from 10,000 to 20,000.
“The Nigerian Police requires an additional 190,000 personnel to be at par with the United Nations recommendation,” he said.
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“Inadequate manpower has resulted in low police presence and could hinder the federal government’s industrialisation efforts.
“Without sufficient police presence and response capabilities, industrial sites are vulnerable to criminal activities, thereby, hampering economic progress.
“As part of my recommendation for this lecture, my office will liaise with the chairman of the Police Service Commission and the minister of police affairs.
“I will recommend to the government the need to increase the annual intake of personnel into the force from 10,000 to 20,000, starting from 2024.”
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Egbetokun added that the government should direct the ministry of finance to provide funds for the procurement of modern crime-fighting equipment for the force.
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