Human rights activist and convener of the RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, has criticized the deplorable state of Nigeria’s policing system, alleging that Bola Tinubu is intentionally keeping the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, in office beyond his official tenure for a “special purpose” related to the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during an interview on News Central TV on Friday, Sowore described the Nigeria Police Force as broken, corrupt, and poorly funded.
He also condemned the extension of IGP Egbetokun’s tenure, stating that it lacks constitutional legitimacy.
“Another election is coming. Credibility for the police is important because we cannot have a police IG who says to you, ‘my life changed the day I met the President,’ now being in charge of an election, especially when his tenure has expired,” Sowore stated.
“That suggests they want to use him for a special purpose in 2027.”
Sowore stressed that the integrity of security institutions is crucial to ensuring credible elections, arguing that the police—not the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)—hold the most vital role in the electoral process because of their widespread presence at polling units across the country.
“And one of the major organisations responsible for organising elections in Nigeria is not even INEC but security agencies, particularly the police because there must be a policeman or two in every polling unit,” he said.
He dismissed the idea of police reform, instead calling for a complete overhaul of the police system.
“I’m not for reforms. Nigeria has passed the stage of reforms. I want to see a brand-new police force that is not only about policing but also takes care of policemen and women.
“People who work for you to keep you safe everyday deserve a pension, they deserve a great salary. I have always said that Nigeria is just a counterintuitive space, otherwise, you have a police officer guarding banks who are themselves poor,” he said.
According to Sowore, the poor welfare of police officers contributes significantly to national insecurity.
“You give somebody guns and not pay them. You have just employed an armed robber or a potential one,” he warned, noting that officers earning as little as N57,000 monthly are tasked with guarding high-value assets such as bullion vans.
He said, “You have police officers who are taking home N57,000 per month and they are protecting millions of bullion vans on a daily basis. That is foolishness.
“You give somebody guns and not pay them, you have just employed an armed robber or a potential one.
“All the security issues we are having in Nigeria today are as a result of the breakdown of our police force, otherwise, you will not have soldiers doing traffic work on the streets.
“Soldiers have no business within Nigeria in trying to help fight terrorism and Boko Haram, Lakurawa or kidnappers. Isn’t it the job of the police?”
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He also highlighted systemic dysfunction at the highest levels of the police hierarchy, claiming that favoritism and internal breakdown have led to a loss of discipline and chain of command.
“But what I have discovered in my struggle for and against terrible police force is that the command of the police structure has also broken down,” he said.
“You can go to Abuja at the police headquarters and a junior officer can dictate to a senior officer depending on how close he or she is to the IG, the DIG or AIG.
“If we don’t handle all of these to the bottom, you cannot have a police force that protects you. But the policemen also need logistics. They need support.”
Sowore criticised the severe lack of funding and logistics, revealing that some police stations receive as little as N30,000 quarterly to operate, despite having hundreds of officers to manage.
“There are police stations that have up to 500 men but their quarterly allocation is N30,000. How do you spend N30,000 to manage a police station that has 500 men?” the activist asked.
“At the end you find out that what the majority of the policemen are doing on the road is to get their gratuity before their pension.”
The activist’s remarks come at a time of ongoing debates surrounding electoral integrity, police accountability, and the overall condition of Nigeria’s security framework, as the nation approaches another crucial election cycle.
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