THE Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has bemoaned the Nigeria Police Force’s (NPF) manpower shortage, noting that an officer performs the work of two people.
While there are approximately 370,000 officers, IGP Egbetokun told men and officers of the Kwara State Police Command that efforts are being made to rewrite the narrative.
“We’re paying attention to manpower. I know that there’s a shortage of manpower in your command. I know the stress that I went through while I was the commissioner of police here in making sure that the job was done. I know that one policeman today does the job of two policemen,” he said at the headquarters of the command in Ilorin on Friday.
“A policeman would close from night duty and resume for morning duty. And as he’s closing from morning duty, he’s resuming night duty. And when he dozes off in public, his photograph would be taken and posted, making ridicule of him. I’m aware of all these.”
But despite this challenge, the police chief says “hope is on the way” for the Nigerian police.
During his one-day business visit to the North-Central State, the IGP also met with Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq.
The two spoke about coordinated initiatives to ensure the safety and security of the state’s citizens.
In his speech, the police chief commended the governor for his unwavering support for the Nigeria Police Force in upholding peace and order.
