The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, raised fresh concerns over the growing number of police officers being killed in the line of duty, lamenting that the Nigeria Police Force continued to suffer casualties while confronting insecurity across the country.
Speaking in Enugu on Tuesday during an official visit to the Enugu State Command, the IGP said police personnel had continued to make enormous sacrifices in the fight against crime, insurgency and banditry, with many paying the ultimate price in the course of protecting lives and property.
“We are trying our best, and we are losing our men while doing it,” he lamented.
Disu recalled the recent death of three officers attached to the Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit in Maiduguri, who were killed while attempting to neutralise an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by insurgents.
According to him, the officers ignored advice to suspend the operation until the following day because they were determined to prevent possible civilian casualties.
“They were dedicated officers who wanted to save lives. Unfortunately, they fell into the trap laid by the insurgents, and we lost them,” he said.
Despite the increasing attacks on police personnel, the police chief assured Nigerians that security agencies were intensifying efforts to tackle insecurity nationwide.
“We are not sleeping on our oars. We are working day and night. What we are doing may not be made public, but very soon Nigerians will hear good news,” he stated.
On election security, Disu said the Force remained committed to ensuring peaceful, credible and violence-free elections, stressing that officers were continuously being trained to respond to emerging electoral laws and evolving security threats.
Speaking on the state police debate, he disclosed that the Force had already developed a framework on the issue and submitted it to the National Assembly as part of ongoing policing reforms.
The IGP also admitted that the Force remained overstretched following concerns raised over manpower shortages.
“I will not come here and tell you that I have enough men. We do not have enough personnel,” he admitted.
He, however, revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved the recruitment of 50,000 police personnel, adding that the process had reached the medical screening stage, while police training institutions had already been upgraded ahead of the exercise.
Disu further pledged to boost police manpower in Enugu State following discussions with Governor Peter Mbah, who recently procured additional operational vehicles for security agencies.
“The governor has acquired a large number of vehicles, and we need personnel to deploy them. I have given him my assurance that we will increase manpower in Enugu to sustain the relative peace being enjoyed in the state,” he said.
The IGP noted that his visit to Enugu was also to commission a newly completed forensic facility, which he described as one of the most advanced in Africa and a major boost to criminal investigation and security operations in Nigeria.
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, Mamman Giwa, said that although Enugu remained one of the relatively peaceful states in the South-East, the command continued to battle emerging security threats, including kidnapping, armed robbery, cult-related violence, farmer-herder conflicts, human trafficking and other organised crimes.
Giwa disclosed that between March 2026 and date, the command had arrested 421 criminal suspects for offences ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, rape and cultism to illegal possession of firearms.
He added that operatives had rescued 23 kidnapped victims and recovered 51 firearms, including 10 AK-47 rifles, 348 rounds of ammunition and 76 stolen vehicles, including cars, tricycles and motorcycles.
According to him, specialised tactical units, particularly the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), had intensified operations against violent criminal networks, recording major successes in neutralising kidnappers, foiling abduction attempts and dismantling criminal hideouts across the state.
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