The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has assured Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force will demonstrate professionalism before, during and after the 2027 general elections, expressing confidence that its conduct will earn public trust and confidence.
Disu gave the assurance on Tuesday while speaking with journalists at the launch of The Origin of Women in Nigeria Police Force, a book authored by 96-year-old retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dame Stella Okuyiga, in recognition of her pioneering role in the force.
The police chief said the force had begun preparations for the forthcoming elections, including a review of lessons learnt from previous electoral exercises to improve its performance.
According to him, the police recently convened a conference involving commissioners of police and other senior officers to assess their experiences and identify areas requiring improvement.
“I want to let you know that we just finished a conference of all commissioners of police and other senior officers. We have had two or three elections recently, and you can see the police did very well, and we did too,” Disu said.
He added that the force was determined to build on its previous successes while addressing shortcomings ahead of the 2027 polls.
“We have now brought all these experiences together, where we did well and where we did not do well, so that we can perform better in this big election that everybody is looking up to,” he said.
Expressing confidence in the police’s readiness, the IGP pledged that officers would conduct themselves in a manner that would make Nigerians proud of the institution.
“I give you my word. Nigeria Police will do so well, and we will make Nigeria Police so proud, and we will make Nigerians proud,” he added.
The 2027 general elections are expected to test the preparedness of security agencies to maintain law and order, protect voters and electoral personnel, and ensure a safe environment for the democratic process.
Disu celebrates pioneering female police officers
The IGP also commended Okuyiga for documenting her experiences and preserving the history of women in the Nigeria Police Force.
He said the publication would serve as a valuable resource for future generations of police officers, particularly women seeking to understand the contributions of their predecessors.
Disu noted that Okuyiga was among the first women recruited into the force in 1955, describing her decision to document her experiences at the age of 96 as a significant contribution to institutional history.
“Mama is 96 years old, and she has taken her time to put all her experience, institutional knowledge that she has down in the book for us to be able to study it for the generations coming, for women police in the next generation to have something to look up to,” he said.
He added that the force was committed to recognising the contributions of its past and serving officers rather than allowing their achievements to be forgotten.
“We in the police, we are starting up the history of not leaving our own, not forgetting our own,” Disu said.
According to him, the police leadership plans to distribute copies of the book to police training institutions across the country to ensure that serving officers can learn from the experiences of earlier generations.
“We are going to ensure that we get copies of this book for all police training institutions, for all police officers to go through to see what it was like to be police officers,” he added.
Okuyiga says book will preserve her legacy
Speaking at the event, Okuyiga expressed delight that her publication would preserve her experiences and ensure that her contributions to the police force remained accessible to future generations.
The retired senior police officer said the book represented more than a written account of her life, describing it as a lasting record of her experiences and institutional knowledge.
“This book launch today is an important day in my life because the book itself is there. But I still live on my life. I still live on because this book will be in libraries all over the world, and they’ll be reading it,” she said.
She added that she was grateful that the publication would allow her legacy to endure beyond her lifetime.
“So I’m so happy that with all that is happening today, I will continue to live forever,” Okuyiga said.
The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Dagogo Wokama, formally launched the book with a donation of N20m.
