Chiemelie Ezeobi

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has reiterated its commitment to prioritising mental health support for its personnel as part of a broader security reform agenda aimed at enhancing internal security and economic prosperity.

The police also pledged to strengthen cybercrime monitoring and improve inter-agency cooperation to combat financial crimes, as well as ensure the exit of Nigeria from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List.

These decisions were some of the key resolutions reached at the just concluded fifth annual Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with over 170 senior police officers from the ranks of commissioners of police to deputy inspector generals of police, across Nigeria in attendance.

Organised by Mr. Shina Philips of Lenders Consult, the conference, themed “Improving Nigeria’s Internal Security and Economic Prosperity through Inclusive Policing,” brought together senior police officers, government officials, and security experts to discuss critical policing challenges and solutions.

One of the major highlights of the conference was the decision to prioritise the mental health and psychological well-being of police personnel given that they are frequently exposed to high-stress situations, which often lead to mental strain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and burnout.

To address this, the police, at the conference, resolved on  the need for psychological assessments, stress management interventions, and counselling services for officers.

As the three-day conference wound up yesterday, it was  resolved that the NPF will conduct a nationwide study on the impact of mental health challenges on police officers, revamp its Counselling Unit with trained psychologists and implement a structured mental health policy.

In line with this, NPF also pledged to reintroduce the eight-hour duty shift to reduce officer fatigue, while committing to expanding pre-retirement counselling services for police personnel.

While the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun emphasised the importance of transitioning from reactive to proactive policing, the conference also addressed the need to modernise policing through intelligence-led operations and advanced crime prevention strategies.

He also outlined plans to expand digital forensic capabilities, deploy surveillance drones, establish an integrated criminal database management system, and introduce a COMPSTAT performance management system to improve efficiency in policing operations.

While reaffirming the NPF’s commitment to implementing these resolutions, the IGP yesterday said they would develop annual policing strategies, increase investment in community policing, and enhance officer welfare programmes as well.

He called for a renewed commitment to leveraging technology and intelligence to strengthen security and rebuild public trust in law enforcement.

Underscoring the importance of regional and international cooperation in tackling transnational crimes such as terrorism, human trafficking, and arms smuggling, the

discussion also covered Nigeria’s efforts to exit the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List, with the NPF pledging to strengthen cybercrime monitoring and improve inter-agency cooperation to combat financial crimes.

Also, Rwanda Inspector-General of Police, Felix Namuhoranye’s call for greater intelligence-sharing and collaboration between African police forces, led to the resolve by the NPF to expand its partnership with the Rwanda National Police and other African law enforcement agencies, strengthen intelligence-sharing platforms within AFRIPOL and ECOWAS, and increase joint training programmes for Nigerian police officers with their counterparts from East and Southern Africa.

Earlier at the opening ceremony, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to supporting the police through infrastructure upgrades, inter-agency collaboration, and improved community engagement.

Other key attendees included the Inspector-General of Police of Kenya, Douglas Kanja Kirocho, who also serves as President of the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), and the Inspector-General of Police of Rwanda, Felix Namuhoranye, who is also President of the East African Police Chiefs Cooperation (EAPCCO).

The Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, was also present, along with the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, representatives of the National Assembly, service chiefs, heads of paramilitary organisations, and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).