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Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and past Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Solomon Arase, died recently at the age of 69. The ex-Police boss, who died on August 31, was the 18th indigenous IGP. He was an accomplished police officer and gentleman. As the IGP, Arase worked tirelessly to reform and reposition the force. He showed commitment to instilling citizen-centric policing and human rights protection into the Nigerian police system.
His death has attracted tributes from family and notable Nigerians. According to his son, Solomon Arase Jnr, the late IGP was “a man who served the country with distinction.” In a befitting tribute, President Bola Tinubu praised Arase’s reforms as Inspector-General of Police and later as Chairman of the Police Service Commission, which he said, brought lasting changes to the Force.
Tinubu further recalled that “Arase served the police force meritoriously from 1981 to 2016. During his career, he led tactical, operational, and intelligence units, including UN Peacekeeping in Namibia, Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom, Principal Staff Officer to three IGPs, AIG in charge of Force Intelligence Bureau, and DIG at the Force CID. After retirement, he continued to serve in various roles, including as PSC Chairman.”
The current IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, spoke in a similar vein when he visited the Arase family in Abuja, to convey condolences on behalf of the Nigeria Police Force. He says that Arase’s passing is not just the culmination of a remarkable chapter but a moment of collective mourning of a man who served with pride and honour. Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, described Arase as “a patriotic Nigerian whose contributions to the country’s security architecture were immeasurable.”
Other Nigerians are of the view that the late ex-IGP was seen as great mind, a profound intellectual and dedicated public servant, who served the Police and the country with honour and distinction. The improved the image of the force through effective police public relations during his tenure.
Born on June 21, 1956, in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, Arase enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force on December 1, 1981, and rose through the ranks to attain the topmost position in the force. His career was predicated on a foundation of solid academic attainment as he was widely respected for his brilliance and work ethics.
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He attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria for his undergraduate studies and graduated with Political Science degree in 1980, and followed it up with an LL.B degree in law from the University of Benin, Benin-City. He further studied for an LL.M degree in Corporate Management and Finance Law from the Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos, and later obtained an M.Sc in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan. He also bagged a Ph.D degree in Public Law from the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State.
Arase served in various capacities, including being the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State. He also worked as the Principal Secretary to the IGP, as well as serving in the intelligence gathering unit as Assistant Inspector-General (AIG). In his capacity as the AIG in charge of the Force Intelligence Bureau, he set up the Intelligence Laboratory, which remains a key asset of the NPF. He also served as Deputy Inspector-General of Police in the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID).
In 2015, he was appointed Inspector-General of Police. During his brief tenure, he set up the Police Complaints Unit to improve relations between the police and the public; created the Intelligence Response Unit to handle high profile crimes and banned officers from searching citizens’ phones, to curb human rights abuses associated with the practice. He was a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence Academy and had served in Namibia during the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operation.
Arase retired from Police service on 21 June 2016. After his retirement, he was appointed Chairman of a Task Force responsible for the implementation of a state Anti-Community Development Association Law in Edo State. Apart from legal practice, Arase worked as security consultant to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the European Centre for Electoral Support, the Human Rights Centre at the University of Oslo. He also was engaged in public speaking and research.
He was a member of the Committee on Prevention of Torture, Geneva Switzerland currently developing a universal protocol on Investigative Techniques. On 24 January 2023, Arase was appointed Chairman of the Nigeria Police Service Commission by President Muhammadu Buhari. In October 2022, he was conferred with the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) by President Muhammadu Buhari. We commiserate with his family, Edo state and the Nigeria Police on his passage.
