The Maiden National Police Day 2025

By Sunday Ehindero

As a Guest of Honour of the maiden Nigeria Police Day 2025, I watched with nostalgia how things have changed over the years. I reminisced on how Police Day was 50 years ago when I was an Assistant Superintendent of Police.

At that time, a day was set aside each year as a Police Day for the public to visit police stations and divisions nationwide and socialise with police law enforcement personnel.

The public, though inquisitive, hardly questioned authority. They believed more in the benefits of police work to contain crimes than in individual human rights.

However, questions were asked about police duties and how crimes were attended to. The public was curious about what happened at the police stations, particularly at the interrogation rooms and the detention cells. Officers were deployed to each section of the station to satisfy the public’s curiosity.

At the end of the visit, gifts were handed over to the visitors. The occasion was to satisfy the visitors’ curiosity and emphasise that the police are your friend, a sort of police/public relations interaction.

Today, I watched the Maiden Nigeria Police Day with rapt attention, which was ushered in with a grand procession and parade of tactical units.

Present at Eagle Square, the venue of the parade and procession, were contingents from the Immigration, Customs, Correctional Service, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps, the National Youth Service Corps and the Police Officers’ Wives Association. There were also demonstrations and processions by Despatch Riders, Peace Corps Contingent, the Police Air Wing, the Police Bomb Explosive Disposal Unit, the Mounted Troops, the Dog section, and the Police Border Patrol.

It was a show that demonstrated multi-agency partnership and collaboration. I commend IG Egbetokun for his thoughtfulness and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the 7th of April of each year as Nigeria Police Day.

His mission to honour the bravery and sacrifice of the force’s men and women and recognise their tireless efforts in protecting lives, maintaining law and order, and upholding justice is commendable.

In addition, I wish to commend past and present IGPs, dead or alive, starting from Mr Louis Edet to the present IG Egbetokun, for their leadership and service.

As a family, we have done our part to make the police service what it is—the garden where law and order have grown and flourished. Few occasions present themselves like this for one to vent one’s opinion on contemporary issues.

I want to commend the present administration led by President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for having the political will to tackle the country’s challenges headlong. He is of bold spirit, not a timorous soul.

His boldness in unifying the naira-dollar exchange rate, his removal of the fuel subsidy, and his ability to dialogue with Labour regarding the consequential effects of these issues and the provision of palliatives are measures that will ultimately positively affect the economy.

The ability of a leader to think outside the box for solutions is the hallmark of an efficient and effective leader. There will always be challenges confronting the nation, whether they are Boko Haram, insurgencies, herders/farmers disputes, terrorism, kidnappings, robberies, our porous borders, illegal arms, or aliens’ inflow into the country.

Directives have been given by the President to the Chief of Defence Staff to flush out these terrorists and Boko Haram criminals. The successes achieved by the Army in the Northwest and Northeast geopolitical zones are humongous.

Similarly, his directive to the Army to fish out criminals in the North Central, particularly Plateau State, is welcomed.

The latent contribution of the National Security Adviser, Mr Nuhu Ribadu, in coordinating intelligence gatherings and disseminating them horizontally is worthy of appreciation. The present government realises that security and development are intertwined.

Because they are interdependent and mutually reinforcing, the President is tackling the socio-economic factors responsible for the prevailing crimes.

The Ministry of Livestock Development was established to provide focused solutions to the long-standing farmers/herders crises. Professor Attahiru Jega is the presidential adviser and coordinator of presidential livestock reforms.

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is scientifically monitoring and arresting illegal immigrants and aliens, as witnessed in Nasarawa and other states. He is also doing a lot on border communities.

The transformation in Immigration, as per passport application and ease of travel, is worthy of mention as these touch on security.

The proactive measures taken by the government are lowering inflation. Our foreign reserve has increased to an extent not witnessed in five years. The government’s desire is to ensure that the economic hardship faced by the populace is minimised. With time, succour will come to the populace.

The President has provided the enabling environment for the police to function effectively, and he is prepared to do more. Today, the Nigerian police are proactive rather than reactive in the prevention and detection of crime.

The government is addressing police manpower shortages with regular, not ad hoc, recruitments. The police are also achieving success in arresting kidnappers because of the intelligence-led policing adopted by the IG.

I assure you all that the contemporary crime issues we face are temporary and will fade with time.

When I was the Commissioner of Police Legal in 1995, 419 or Advance Fee Fraud cases were dominant, but today, we hear less of those cases. Crime is dynamic; it evolves with changing times and reflects the shifting mores of society. As the economy improves, we shall see fewer of these crimes.

I congratulate the IG for thinking outside the box to provide for the Nigeria Police Day

*SUNDAY Ehindero, CFR, NPM, fwc