Nigeria Needs 117,000 Additional Policemen – IGP Idris

The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris said the Nigerian police needs additional 116,510 personnel to reach maximum strength to police the entire population.

Speaking in Abuja at a dinner by the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Idris said the current police strength of 338,490 means there’s only one police officer for every 537 Nigerians.

The United Nations recommends a ratio of one police for every 400 civilians.

Idris blamed the shortage in manpower on the lack of rank and file recruitment since 2010, insisting it had depleted capacity for community policing.

Some 10,000 people are to join the police in the first-ever recruitment in more than five years.

“In order to enhance the confidence and trust of the public, the current administration has decided to co-opt the community and religious leaders, as well as civil society organisations, in the screening and vetting of prospective candidates into the Force,” he said.