Solomon Arase, Nigeria’s 18th Inspector-General of Police and former Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), has died at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja. As of the time of reporting, neither his family nor the Nigeria Police Force has issued an official statement confirming the development.

Arase was born on June 21, 1956, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State. He studied Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, graduating in 1980, and joined the Nigeria Police Force on December 1, 1981. He later earned a Law degree from the University of Benin and a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos.

During his tenure with the police, Arase held multiple key positions, including Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, head of the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, and Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of intelligence. He also served in Namibia on a United Nations peacekeeping mission and was a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Arase served as Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police before being appointed Chairman of the Police Service Commission in January 2023 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari. He was removed from the PSC by President Bola Tinubu in June 2024.

He retired from the police force on June 21, 2016, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age.

Arase’s career spanned several decades, during which he oversaw critical reforms and held responsibilities in intelligence, operations, and administrative leadership within the Nigeria Police Force.