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History Of Nigerian Police Force : All U Need To Know

History Of Nigerian Police Force : All U Need To Know

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History Of Nigerian Police Force : All U Need To Know

The Nigerian Police Force is the primary police serving Nigeria which is one of the most populous nations of the world. The Police force was established in the year 1820 and began with officers from Imo State.

History of Nigerian Police

There are currently seven (7) commands of the Nigerian Police Force. All in Adamawa, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kastina, Lagos, and Ogun. The Nigerian Police Force performs conventional police functions and responsible for internal security generally. They perform the functions of supporting the prison, immigration, and customs services, and also performing military duties within or outside Nigeria.

In the year 1879 a 1,200-member armed paramilitary Hausa Constabulary was formed. And in the year 1896 the Lagos Police was established. A similar police force, was former in Calabar in the year 1894 called, the Niger Coast Constabulary, this was under the newly proclaimed Niger Coast Protectorate. In the northern part of the country, the Royal Niger Company set up the Royal Niger Company Constabulary in the year 1888. When the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria were proclaimed in the early 1900s by Britain, some part of the Royal Niger Company Constabulary was under the Northern Nigeria Police, and the rest of the Niger Coast Constabulary became the Southern Nigeria Police.

During the colonial period, most of the police force were associated with native authorities but after Nigeria gained her independence these forces were first regionalized and then nationalised.

Plans were later announced in the year 1980 to expand the Nigerian Police Force to 200,000. By the year 1983, the strength of the Nigerian Police Force was quoted to be almost 152,000 in the National budget but other sources estimated it to be between 20,000 and 80,000.

By then there were more than 1,300 police stations across the nation. Police officers were not usually armed carrying basically clubs but police officers were issued weapons when required for specific missions or circumstances. In the year 1989 the then Head of State Babangida announced that a larger number of officers would be posted to their native areas to facilitate police- community relations. The Nigerian Police Mobile Force was established as an Anti-riot unit under the control of the Inspector-General of Police to counter incidents of civil disturbance.

Below are the ranks of officers of The Nigerian Police Force listed in descending order;

  • Inspector General
  • Deputy Inspector-General of Police
  • Assistant Inspector-General of Police
  • Commissioner of Police
  • Deputy Commissioner of Police
  • Assistant Commissioner of Police
  • Chief Superintendent of Police
  • Superintendent of Police
  • Deputy Superintendent of Police
  • Assistant Superintendent of Police
  • Inspector of Police
  • Sergeant Major
  • Sergeant
  • Corporal

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