The inspector general of police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has declared that officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) will no longer act as enforcers for private concerns.
Speaking on Thursday, Egbetokun cautioned officers against taking part in land disputes or civil matters without criminal elements, stressing that such actions compromise the force’s neutrality and integrity.
“Nigeria Police Force is not and will never become an enforcer for private interests,” he said.
“Officers have no business escorting parties for land recovery business, disrupting legally existing occupations, or meddling in civil claims without a demonstrable criminal element.”
He emphasized that any officer who violates this directive would face disciplinary measures.
Egbetokun also launched a nationwide training programme for police personnel on the newly introduced Criminal Database Systems, describing it as the “nervous system of 21st century Nigerian policing.”
The launch, which took place in Abuja, he said, “marks a shift from reactive policing to proactive, intelligence-led operations based on data analysis and international cooperation.”
According to him, the database will address long-standing weaknesses such as poor record-keeping, fragmented intelligence, and stalled prosecutions, which have eroded public confidence in the police. He vowed that the era of “forgotten files” was over.
“With the support of the Federal Government and our partners, we are building a system where every arrest is recorded, every case is documented, and every officer is accountable. No case will vanish into forgotten files. No conviction will disappear into silence,” he said.
Egbetokun explained that the database would not only strengthen domestic policing but also align Nigeria with international security standards, integrating with INTERPOL, the African Union Border Programme, and UNODC frameworks.
“When a trafficker is convicted in Nigeria, the world must know. When a weapon is seized at our borders, its trail must echo across continents,” he declared.
Urging the first batch of officers in training to embrace their responsibility, he added: “Every case you enter, every record you preserve, every link you verify, will strengthen justice in our nation. You are not merely handling files; you are safeguarding the future.”