IGP Disu Launches Strategic Police Conference, Kickstarts State Police Initiative

ABUJA—Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu on Wednesday convened his inaugural conference with top Nigeria Police Force (NPF) brass at the Peacekeeping Conference Centre, Force Headquarters, drawing strategic managers for pivotal talks on national security and operational reforms.

The gathering, Disu’s first major engagement since assuming office in mid-2025 amid a wave of insecurity including banditry in Zamfara and kidnappings in Kaduna, aims to synchronize directives, bolster command chains, and establish performance targets. Sources close to the event say it responds to President Bola Tinubu’s push for police modernization, as highlighted in his 2026 budget speech emphasizing tech-driven security.

In a firm opening address, IGP Disu, a seasoned officer with prior stints in Lagos and UN peacekeeping, urged leaders to model discipline, swiftly punish infractions, and embody ethical policing. He pledged to revamp internal watchdogs like the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) and X-Squad—units credited with over 500 arrests in 2025 per NPF stats—to root out corruption and ensure no one operates above the law.

Disu emphasized a shift to “intelligence-led, evidence-based, and technology-driven” strategies, promising better intel sharing, upgraded tools like drones and AI analytics (piloted in Abuja last year), and closer ties with agencies like the DSS. This aligns with his “Operation Secure Naija” blueprint, which has reportedly cut Lagos robbery rates by 22% since inception, per Force PRO data.

A highlight was the inauguration of the Steering Committee on State Police establishment—a hot-button issue reignited by governors’ forums and the 2025 National Security Summit. Disu called it “timely” against federation-wide threats like farmer-herder clashes and urban crime, framing it as a tool to localize policing, boost community buy-in, and ease federal burdens without supplanting the NPF.

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The committee’s mandate includes benchmarking global models (e.g., U.S. state troopers, UK’s territorial policing), mapping local risks, crafting frameworks for recruitment/training (targeting 50,000 initial officers), funding via state allocations, and safeguards against abuse—drawing from past concerns like ethnic bias raised in Senate debates.

“Not a replacement, but a complement in a unified framework,” Disu stressed, echoing Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi’s January 2026 memo supporting constitutional amendments for state police.

Chaired by Prof. Olu Ogunsakin of the National Institute for Police Studies, the panel features CP Bode Ojajuni (Secretary), DCPs Okebechi Agora and Suleyman Gulma, ACP Ikechukwu Okafor, CSP Tolulope Ipinmisho, and retired CP Emmanuel Ojukwu. It has three months to report, amid optimism from security analysts but skepticism from rights groups wary of politicization.

The conference underscores Disu’s reform zeal in a force long criticized for underfunding (NPF budget: N845bn in 2026) and overstretch, setting the tone for his tenure as Nigeria grapples with 2026’s security outlook.