• IGP hails officers for securing electoral processes
• NIIA DG says Force, reflection of society

Presidential Candidate of Social Democratic Party in 2023, Dr Adewole Adebayo, has said that the Nigerian elite are interested in police officers standing behind them, escorting them and saluting them, but they don’t want the police to be efficient.

The lawyer said this at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos, during the opening of a two-day symposium organised by the NIIA in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The theme was “The Nigerian Police and the Peace Process in Africa”.

According to Adewole, the NPF at all times reflects the reality of the country’s development.

“If there is any aspect of the police we are not satisfied with, it reflects the state of our country. Since 1999, we have not been too quick to remember that we need to make more investment in the police. The challenge of the police reflects the society’s challenge.

“Nigeria come first in peacekeeping missions. There are five indices we must look at in planning our top process towards changing the police and international component in peacekeeping; we must have peace at home. The police and the community must work together to deal with crime. Police cannot achieve much if our politics is broken and if we are creating tension in our society. We need to understand that capacity is very important for police officers,” he said.

In his remarks, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, described peacekeeping as both a moral imperative and a strategic necessity.

“In fragile political environments, our officers support secure electoral processes and political transitions, reinforcing democracy as a foundation for sustainable peace.”

On his part, the Director General, NIIA, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, said the only police force close to the NPF in terms of peacekeeping operations was the Police of India.

“With all of us supporting the police, building capacity and extending the frontier of preparedness, the NPF will be the dream we always thought about. The NIIA will work with the IGP to have an international centre for peacekeeping and policing,” he said.