Olatuji Disu, inspector-general of police (IGP), has assured personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) that the proposed creation of state police will not affect their jobs, ranks, pensions, or career progression.
Disu gave the assurance while addressing concerns among officers over ongoing discussions on state policing and its implications for the future of the force.
The IGP said there was no reason for officers to panic, stressing that the establishment of state police would not signal the end of the Nigeria Police Force.
“Let me begin by assuring everybody here today that there is no reason to panic at all,” he said.
“The creation of state police does not mean the end of the Nigerian Police Force. We remain the Nigerian Police Force.”
Disu said the police hierarchy had become more involved in decisions affecting the institution, unlike in the past when critical reforms were often discussed without the input of officers.
“In the past, when they were discussing matters that concerned the police, several times, we, the police, did not take part in it. We leave it to them to decide our fate,” he said.
“That is why we are complaining today. We do not have a scheme harmonising our job. That is why a lot of allowances that we are supposed to get, we are not getting.”
SCHEME TO IMPROVE POLICE WELFARE
The IGP disclosed that the force had developed a scheme aimed at improving officers’ welfare and conditions of service, adding that it would soon be presented to the president for approval.
“We are sealing the scheme and we are taking it to the president to approve it. After it is approved, our condition of service will improve,” he said.
According to Disu, the police leadership set up a committee to study the state police proposal and develop a framework that would protect the interests of officers while strengthening security across the country.
“When the issue of state police came up, we quickly set up a committee that gave us the framework of how state police will work and how we, the federal police, will work so that it does not affect us at all,” he said.
The police chief said the committee examined policing models from several countries before submitting its recommendations to the national assembly.
“We took part in discussions, examinations and comparative analysis. We took examples from many countries all over the world where they do state policing before we decided writing our own framework which we sent to the National Assembly,” he said.
RANKS, EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS INTACT
Disu further assured officers that their employment status and accrued benefits would remain intact under the proposed arrangement.
“It does not mean the cancellation of your rank. It does not affect your rank,” he said.
“You are not going to lose your job. No member of the Nigerian Police Force will lose their job. You will not forfeit your pension or your rights. Your future remains protected.”
The IGP said the objective of the reform was to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture by creating policing structures closer to local communities while maintaining a strong national police institution.
“The objective of this reform is to strengthen Nigeria’s overall policing architecture by creating additional policing structures that are closer to the communities they serve while maintaining a strong national policing institution capable of addressing interstate, national and transnational security threats,” he said.
Disu added that under the proposed framework, the Nigeria Police Force would evolve into a Federal Police Service focused on national security responsibilities.
“Under the proposed framework, the Nigerian Police Force will evolve into what will be known as the Federal Police Service,” he said.
“This evolution should not be seen as a weakening of the institution but rather as a strategic repositioning that will enable it to focus more effectively on national mandates.”
