Egbetokun and the urgency of police reforms

The depth of the challenges confronting the Nigeria Police Force, as it seeks to discharge its continuously expanding remit of security provision across the country – not only in terms of its systemic neglect by the political authorities, the inadequacy and dearth of care for its manpower, but also the lack of crucial operational tools and equipment – made the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, describe it as a “battered” force, which in itself requires urgent interventions, to be able to discharge its statutory functions with the effectiveness required. And, these interventions or reforms are essential to the difference that the IGP appears keen on making as his tenure progresses. 

The “battered” nature of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is not just a recent or random phenomenon, but one concretised through decades of the lack of institutional renewal, maladministration and government apathy, alluded to above. Hence, the Force became “worn down,” over years of chronic underfunding, the poor welfare of its officers, attendant corruption, and a colonial policing framework that was no longer fit for the modern times. Much of the foregoing dampened the morale of officers, who felt overworked, underpaid, underequipped and consequently undervalued. The worsening of the situation equally fed-back into their approach to the policing mandate.

As such, reforming a Police Force that has bumped through stretches and cycles of dysfunction is no doubt an Herculean – though extremely urgent – task, due to the country’s huge security challenges, which have deteriorated in more recent times and require a more efficient and responsive force to counter them. Hence, a multi-pronged strategy is essential to revamping and rebuilding the NPF into a modern, more accountable, and people-centered policing system.

Quite significantly, the necessity of a rescue mission for policing in the country falls squarely within the ambit of IGP Egbetokun’s declared intentions to overhaul the system, as the constraints to the effective functioning of the Nigerian Police which he has identified include the limitations imposed by finances – necessitating a more realistic allocation of between 5 to 10 per cent of the national budget to policing annually, and the paucity of welfare provisioning. Also, the huge deficit of police officers in relation to the population it seeks to serve, inadequacy of new knowledge and equipments required to function optimally, and deficiencies in understanding novel approaches to the questions of human rights, community policing and indispensability of digital skills, etc. For these exigencies, Egbetokun has considered a raft of alternatives.

But could Egbetokun’s proposed fixes be the real deal or just bandaid on an essentially broken system? For reforms to be meaningful and effective, issues such the review of remuneration requires a seismic level of remaking, in ways that factor in the present cost-of-living crisis in the country, alongside spiralling inflation, etc. Also, for programmes on mass recruitment, housing, modern equipment and training to be effective, these call for a massive marshalling of funds beyond what the government’s present tottering fiscal situation might be able to accommodate.

More so, for initiatives that can truly contain corruption in the force, there is the need for a new moral charter or pact, which has to be effectively instated and bought into, alongside the institution of real independent oversight capable of talking hard decisions that will keep officers on the clean and desirable.

Yet, not being a time for vacillation but decisive action, the IGP’s programme of reforms are worthy of consideration.

Towards a New Charter of Reform

Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has been vocal and proactive in advocating for improved welfare benefits and resources for the Nigeria Police Force since assuming office in June 2023. His focus on addressing longstanding challenges such as inadequate funding, poor working conditions, and insufficient manpower, aimed at enhancing the force’s operational efficiency and morale, are highly crucial. Some of his key reform initiatives include:

The Push for Better Funding: Egbetokun has consistently called for increased budgetary allocations to address the NPF’s resource deficits. In January, while defending the 2025 budget before the National Assembly’s Joint Committees on Police Affairs, he proposed removing the NPF from the restrictive envelope budgetary system. He argued that this would allow for better funding projections and operational flexibility, while suggesting the creation of a Special Operations Account for national security emergencies, alongside boosting allocations for overheads and capital expenditures. This, to him, would enable the needed financial support to meet public expectations.

Welfare Improvements for Personnel: The IGP has also emphasised that a well-motivated workforce is crucial to effective policing. In November 2023, he told the House of Representatives that he inherited a “battered” force suffering from neglect, particularly in terms of its welfare. Hence he advocated for police pension reforms, through a review that would enhance the pension of retired officers, and the launch of a police housing scheme to provide affordable homes for officers across all ranks. He also drew up a plan to redevelop deteriorating police barracks across the country in November 2024.

The IGP has overseen the distribution of welfare funds, including over N5.75 billion in insurance cheques to 2,148 beneficiaries and next of kin of deceased officers in September 2024 (which is the largest single disbursement till date), and earlier, N2.86 billion to 785 families in January 2024, under the IGP Family Welfare Scheme.

On the level of manpower expansion, in November 2023, IGP Egbetokun secured the approval of President Bola Tinubu for yearly recruitments into the NPF, as a way of addressing staff shortages, especially in view of the situation in which the country remains far below the 1:400 police-to-citizen ratio recommended by the United Nations. This is to take the staff strength from about 371,800 to 650,000 personnel, as a way of alleviating operational strains through the improvement of coverage.

Resource Enhancement: Egbetokun has equally highlighted the lack of essential equipment, such as operation vehicles, and he pointed out in November 2023 that many of the 1,137 police divisional headquarters lack functional vehicles. He has kept reiterating the call for government support in equipping police divisions adequately, in addition to approving the distribution of new kits and uniforms to officers, as a way of reinforcing his commitment to improving working conditions.

Public and Legislative Appeals: More so, the IGP has utilised public platforms and legislative engagements in seeking support for his reform agenda in the Police. For instance, he has used various forums in appealing citizens and national lawmakers to join hands with the police in securing the country, underscoring a peculiar approach to attaining systemic change.

Consolidating the Programme of Reforms

In the shift to community policing, the Nigeria Police Force’s colonial mentality hinged on control and the use of force – essential to a mentality that seeks to subjugate and intimidate – has to give way to the need for service, and a decentralisation that empowers state and local commands, which are more in tune with the security needs at their different levels. Officers should be trained to partner with communities, and engage them through forums such as town hall meetings, etc.

Importantly, technology has to be leveraged. While crime has gone digital, policing is yet to match it on the level of speed and scale, hence the need for the greater mainstreaming of technology into policing. There’s the need to build a national crime database that’s accessible to all divisions, while Artificial Intelligence (AI) is widely deployed for the predictive policing of hotspots. Also, the cybercrime unit of the Police has to be given more training, through partnerships with tech firms, etc., towards tackling fraud and disinformation.

Moreover, the Police need greater legislative backbone beyond what is provided for in the Police Act 2020, as there is need for a more robust enabling law that mandates welfare standards, emplaces civilian accountability boards, and creates the state police options (with federal checks). In addition, it has to enable the building of public trust through demands around transparency, the issuing of progress reports, and enshrining channels for citizen feedback, and whistleblower reward.

The roadmap to reform of the Nigeria Police should onboard phases such as: fixing the welfare of officers and massive recruitment; rolling out operational support equipment and technology; entrenching oversight and public accountability mechanisms; and evaluating progress and making adjustments, as necessary. Potential funding for all this could be through dedicated taxes and grants (such as a 1 per cent VAT hike, etc, and international grants). More importantly, while the IGPs vision shows intent, there is need for the political will to carry these through, alongside efforts to secure public buy-in.

Egbetokun’s reform approach to the ills bedevelling the Police blends immediate action (like enabling welfare benefits, etc.) with long-term structural reforms (like budget restructuring and the creation of infrastructure). His advocacy essentially seeks to concretise the vision of a professional, service-driven force, although success ultimately hinges on sustained funding and government follow-through — which are areas where he needs to continue pressing for progress.

Nankin Silas writes from Kuru, Plateau state.