Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Ehigiator Arase has passed away at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja. Arase died on Sunday, August 30, 2025, after battling an undisclosed illness, according to family sources and confirmed by top officials in the Nigeria Police Force. As of now, there has been no official statement issued by the Nigeria Police Force or his family .
Biography of Solomon Arase
Solomon Ehigiator Arase was born on June 21, 1956, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. He graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1980 with a degree in Political Science. He joined the Nigeria Police Force on December 1, 1981. Later, Arase earned a Law degree from the University of Benin and a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos .
Arase had a distinguished career in policing, serving as the 18th Inspector-General of Police of Nigeria from April 2015 until his retirement in June 2016. Before becoming IGP, he headed the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, the Nigerian Police Force’s top intelligence unit. He also held key appointments including Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State and Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Intelligence. Internationally, he served in Namibia as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission and was a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence Academy .
During his tenure as IGP, Arase introduced several reforms aimed at enhancing the professionalism and efficiency of the police force. Notably, he established the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to tackle high-profile crimes and the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) to address police misconduct. He also championed community policing and forensic investigation capacity building .
After retiring as IGP, Arase was appointed Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) in January 2023 by President Muhammadu Buhari. His tenure ended in June 2024 when he was removed by President Bola Tinubu. Post-retirement, Arase engaged in legal practice, security consultancy, public speaking, and academic work focused on security and human rights .
His death is a significant loss to Nigeria’s law enforcement community and the nation as a whole .
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