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President Bola Tinubu, this week swore in Mr. Olatunji Disu, as the Inspector General of Police, following the resignation of former IGP Kayode Egbetokun.
In this report, some Nigerians set a strategic security agenda for the new IGP.
IGP should deploy technology in combating crimes – Osazee Edigin, activist; Benin
The new IGP should be more strategic in combating insecurity in the country, and this should be intelligent-based.
Technology has taken over the fight against crime and criminality, and I think the IGP should focus more on the use of technology to combat crimes as it is done in other climes. More so, he shouldn’t be partisan, because partisanship kills professionalism in policing. He should be more thorough in investigation and ensure that the rights of citizens are protected and not violated by men and officers of the police force.
Police welfare should also be a critical area he should focus on to ensure that policemen are well motivated to do their job.
He should encourage community policing – Eben Enasco, journalist; Benin
I think this is the right time for Nigerians to understand the reason for policing. We should expect that police integrity should be upheld.
The first priority for the IGP Tunji Disu is to go back to the drawing board, set the real agenda, which is community policing.
Intelligence gathering, analysis should drive operations -Rev. Emmanuel Olorunmagba, cleric; Kaduna
Nigeria is passing through one of the most complex security periods in its recent history. From terrorism in parts of the North-East, banditry and kidnapping across the North-West and North-Central, tensions in the South-East, due to agitation for Biafra largely as a result of the marginalisation of the people, to an organised crime and oil theft in the Niger Delta, the security architecture requires renewed clarity, coordination, and firm leadership.
With the appointment of Olatunji Disu as the Inspector General of Police by President Bola Tinubu, expectations are high. The moment calls not just for routine policing, but for strategic repositioning of the Nigeria Police Force as a modern, intelligence-driven, and citizen-focused institution.
My advice for a focused strategic security agenda for the new IGP is to reposition the police around intelligence dominance. The Force must move from reactive to proactive policing. Intelligence gathering, analysis, and dissemination should drive operations at all levels. A stronger intelligence fusion mechanism with other security agencies, supported by crime data mapping and digital tracking systems, will enable the police to anticipate threats before they escalate.
Specialised tactical units should be strengthened in identified hotspots, with clear mandates and measurable targets against banditry and kidnapping. Financial trails behind where ransom payments go to and illegal arms flows must be disrupted. Success must be measured not only by arrests but by sustained reduction in incidents.
Police should restore public confidence through community policing because security is most effective when citizens trust those who protect them. Structured engagement with traditional rulers, community leaders, youth associations, and the private sector should become institutional practice. Complaint and redress mechanisms must be transparent and credible to rebuild confidence. With disciplined leadership, operational clarity, and a commitment to professionalism, the Nigeria Police Force can be repositioned as a stabilising pillar in Nigeria’s national security architecture.
Government should establish strike force offices in rural areas – Tajudeen Tijani Ajibade, veteran journalist; Kaduna
The government should establish Strike Force Offices in rural areas, which will be a combination of the Police, Army, Air force, Civil Defence and local vigilantes. It will not only reduce the crimes of banditry and kidnapping, it will also go a long way to provide job opportunities for the jobless Nigerian youths.
Nigeria is not the only country facing security challenges; we should focus on how to tackle them with all seriousness it deserves. If government is serious to provide peaceful atmosphere for the people, the current security architecture must be thoroughly tested to find out whether the public has enough confidence in their performance. A nation that cannot track criminals wherever they are operating, including their evil forests, cannot blame anyone for the misfortune.
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He should address underfunding, understaffing of Police Force- Olalekan Ige, public commentator; Port Harcourt
The Nigeria Police is understaffed and underfunded. There is an urgent need to tackle these deficiencies and bolster the morale of the rank and file. Indiscipline and impunity exercised by a sizeable number of policemen, including officers need to be curbed.
He should restore discipline, professionalism and public trust – Paul Chimodo, ICT expert, Port Harcourt
The new IGP should immediately prioritise intelligence-led policing, aggressive action against kidnapping and banditry, and stronger coordination with other security agencies. Restoring discipline, professionalism and public trust within the Nigeria Police Force must be central to his agenda. He should also deploy modern technology for crime detection, strengthen community policing nationwide, and improve officers’ welfare to boost morale and performance. Clear targets and visible results within the first few months will be critical to proving capacity and rebuilding confidence in policing.
Nigeria police should be more intelligence driven – Chiamaka Egbu, Public Affairs Analyst, Port Harcourt
It is quite unfortunate that we are still grappling with high level of insecurity in the country today. The problem does not lie with changing of Inspectors General of Police at will. If you bring in a new IGP and the system remains what it is, the insecurity problem will remain unsolved. The new IGP should allow the activities of his men to wove around intelligence gathering, rather than the present method of using brute force and intimidation to gather information which to my opinion, is yielding no fruit. Again, he should do away with nepotism that his predecessor was accused of, and improve on the welfare of his men for maximum result.
He should instill discipline in his men – Uche Sunday, businessman; Aba
The police have lost out in the war against insecurity. If not for the military that has come to help out in internal security, the story could have been different for the country. President Bola Tinubu gave order to the former IGP to withdraw policemen attached to VIPs, but that order was not carried out. The new IGP should instill discipline in his men and train them to be professionals. The idea of policemen leaking the identity of those who gave them information should be stopped. Since police depend much on vital information for their operations, they should try to keep identities of informants secret.
He should tackle kidnapping in N’Delta – Joshua Amangala, legal practitioner; Yenagoa
The new IGP should tackle security issues in the country, especially kidnapping in the Niger Delta Region. He should tackle security issues head-on in collaboration with sister security agencies. The issue of kidnapping is prevalent, and, unfortunately, a great country like Nigeria is riddled with issues of insecurity.
It is important to note that the Nigerian Police Force is capable of dealing with this problem, but unfortunately, the rank and file feel they are not properly motivated, and so they resort to mischief to undermine Nigeria’s security.
The IGP should carry out internal cleaning of the Nigeria Police’s security architecture.
He should focus on community policing – Nathaniel Ikyur, politician; Makurdi
The new IGP is coming in at a very challenging time in our history. I prescribe a four-point approach in tackling this hydra headed issue. One, he should prioritise and focus on strengthening community policing, upscale intelligence led policing, improve welfare of his officers and men and lastly, tackle banditry and kidnappings.
While strengthening community policing strategies, he should build trust among the people who will serve as a layer of information bank. This will enable his men to gather intelligence to address some of the issues in our communities like militia wars, which sometimes snowball into banditry.
Secondly, we are developing as a nation. Intelligence-led collaboration among other arms of sister agencies should be given priority. The Police need this to further collaborate with other partners to tackle organised crimes and terrorism. Of course, we all know how improved welfare and training enhances productivity. The new IG should not take for granted the welfare of his officers and men.
Another critical area the new IG needs to tackle headlong is that of banditry and kidnapping. Sadly, it has become a source of economic gain for the criminal elements among us. We used to hear this or at best, watch it in movies. Never did we envisage that one day, our nation will so engrossed in it. He should therefore develop a strategy to break this chain of daredevils among us. It’s sickening and destructive for our society.
Respect for human rights should be his cardinal principle -Desmond Jinge, rights activist; Makurdi
The Nigeria security architecture actually needs total overhaul. Bringing in new personnel into the system would energise, encourage, and boost the morale of others. Before his emergence, the officers and men were really demoralised, but now, I believe that the spirit is high, and it is my own view that the new IG will ensure that we have a total well-protected society.
The respect for human rights should be the cardinal principle in carrying out his activities. He should mainstream human rights into their operational tactics in the police divisions, area commands, state commands, zonal commands, and then the national headquarters in Abuja. It will help to reduce issues of human rights infractions in the country.
