OVERVIEW OF THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE

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Monday, 26 October 2009 10:17

                                                PART ONE
                                                CHAPTER 1
                        OVERVIEW OF THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE
‘...the Nigeria Society has undergone fundamental transformation in several
respects over nearly half a century of nationhood. Regrettably, the Nigeria
Police is an institution that has not kept pace with this rapid transformation.
This has obviously resulted in it neither being prepared nor equipped to
cope with the challenges of policing a modern, increasingly urban society
like ours in today’s technology – and knowledge – driven world.
...taking cognizance of the magnitude of the security and development
challenges facing the nation, and Police being a critical factor in creating the
requisite peaceful, secure and investment-friendly environment for the
attainment of the Vision 2020 objectives. It has become necessary for the
Government to reform and reposition our Police NPF to make it fully
functional and able to meet its constitutional mandate of effective
maintenance of law and order.

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua 08.01.08
                    1. Introduction
Security is an imperative component of every State and the primary function of Government. As stressed in its constitutional mandate, the NPF is the fundamental mechanism through which the maintenance of law, order, safety and security can be achieved to enable a tourism and investment friendly environment.

                                1.1 Background of NPF
In April 1861, the British Consul in Lagos obtained permission from his Principal in London to establish a Consular Guard comprising of 30 men. Two years later in 1863, this small body of men were identified as the "Hausa Guard". It was further regularized in 1879 by an Ordinance creating a Constabulary for the Colony of Lagos.
An Inspector-General of Police commanded this force, which was recruited mainly from Hausas and therefore became known as the "Hausa Constabulary".
On 1st January 1896, the Lagos Police NPF was created and armed like the "Hausa Constabulary". While the developments were taking place in Lagos and part of the Yoruba heartland, the areas now known as Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Cross River States were declared as the ‘Oil Rivers Protectorate’ in 1891. The Protectorates had their Headquarters at Calabar and formed an armed constabulary for security purposes. In 1893 the area was proclaimed the Niger Coast and another Constabulary, modeled on the Hausa Constabulary, was formed. It existed for six years and featured prominently in the British expedition to Benin in 1896.

In the Northern parts of the Country the Royal Niger Company (holders of a British Royal Charter from 1886) set up the Royal Niger Constabulary in 1888 with Headquarters at Lokoja to protect its installations along the banks of the River Niger. It had a mounted company known as Carrol’s Horses. The Royal Niger Constabulary played an important role in British campaigns against Bida and Ilorin.

In 1900, the Royal Niger Constabulary was split into the Northern Nigeria Police and the Northern Nigeria Regiment. In the South, the Lagos Police and part of the Niger Coast Constabulary became the Southern Nigeria Police in 1906,
whilst the bulk of the Niger Coast Constabulary formed the Southern Nigeria Regiment.
After the amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria in 1914 both Police Forces continued to operate separately until 1st April 1930 when they were merged to form the present Nigeria Police Force with Headquarters in Lagos.

Nigerians assumed overall leadership of the NPF in 1964, when the late Mr. Louis Orok Edet was appointed the first indigenous Inspector-General of Police. Since then twelve other Nigerians, including the present incumbent Sir (Dr) Mike Mbama Okiro has held the Office The return to democracy from military rule in May 1999 ushered in a new organisational environment, necessitating a paradigm shift in Nigeria’s basic policing approach. This called for conscious and sustained efforts by successive IGPs and their management teams to reform the NPF. This reform was focused on installing the tenets and practices of democratic and community policing. Whilst recognising the great efforts since 1999, it is the considered opinion of the IGP, Sir (Dr) Mike M. Okiro CFR NPM mni and his Management Team that far

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