Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has made an emotional appeal about the state of the Nigeria Police Force. Speaking to Defence Minister Christopher Musa, a retired general, Disu said officers are dying in the line of duty and that the force lacks the equipment to do the job. His remarks on the IGP Disu police equipment shortage came as the force welcomed new vehicles.
Disu opened by recalling an earlier period in his career. He described it as a wonderful time, when he learned to cooperate and build meaningful working relationships with other security agencies. Then he turned to the present. Police officers across Nigeria, he said, work day and night, and the job remains very difficult.
“We do not have the equipment to do this job,” Disu said, “but we still come out to do this job every day.” He explained that officers keep going despite the risks. Moreover, he said the loss of officers has become a regular part of the work.
The IGP then spoke about the vehicles. “These vehicles will make us do our job better,” he said. He added that since he assumed office, operations, vehicles and equipment have stayed at the front of his mind. He said he had calculated that the force needed 774 vehicles, and that he was happy to learn he was getting more. That number matches Nigeria’s count of local government areas, although he did not link the two in the remarks reviewed.
Disu promised that the public would see results. He said the vehicles will go to communities, and that residents will notice what the police do with them. In addition, he said the force is talking to its officers about respecting the public. As a result, he suggested, new equipment would come with a push to improve how officers treat citizens.
His message fits a pattern. Vanguard reported in June that Disu expressed concern about rising police deaths, saying the force was “losing our men” while it fought insecurity. In August, the police honoured 10 Special Intervention Squad officers who died in a fierce clash with suspected bandits in Kebbi State. Meanwhile, three Explosive Ordnance Disposal officers died earlier this year in a bomb attack in Zamfara State.
The government has also made some promises. Disu said President Bola Tinubu approved the recruitment of 50,000 police personnel. Separately, The Sun reported that Musa said the government approved about ₦100 billion to rehabilitate police training institutions. Musa also said the military aims to withdraw gradually from internal security duties while the police grow stronger. Therefore, better police equipment is central to that plan.
State governments have stepped in as well. Disu has thanked governors in Zamfara and Enugu for supplying operational vehicles to the police. However, he has also said the force is overstretched and needs more personnel to man those vehicles. Equipment alone, he suggested, cannot close the gap.
Several details remain unclear. Sojworldnews could not confirm the date and venue of the event, who supplied the vehicles, or how many will reach the police. Readers should also note that Disu did not give figures for officers killed in the clip. Officials will likely release more information as the vehicles are deployed.
For now, the message is blunt. The country’s top police officer says his men are dying and lack what they need, but they keep working. Whether the new vehicles change that will depend on how fast they arrive and where they go. Sojworldnews will update this story as more details emerge.
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