Over 12,000 policemen have participated in different peacekeeping in last 60 years – IGP

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has revealed that Nigeria has deployed over 12,000 police officers to various United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world. According to the IGP, this deployment spans over six decades, demonstrating Nigeria’s commitment to global peace and security. The police officers have been deployed to several countries, including Liberia, […]

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has revealed that Nigeria has deployed over 12,000 police officers to various United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world.

According to the IGP, this deployment spans over six decades, demonstrating Nigeria’s commitment to global peace and security.

The police officers have been deployed to several countries, including Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan and others.

The IGP stated that the Nigerian Police Force has been an active participant in UN, AU and ECOWAS peacekeeping operations, providing critical support to conflict-ridden countries.

The IGP made this disclosure in a keynote address he delivered at the opening ceremony of two day summit on peacekeeping held in Lagos on Monday.

The conference is organized by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs ( NIIA), in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force to mark six decades of Nigeria’s participation in international peacekeeping operations.

At the event, Egbetokun, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, and the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, all agreed that effective policing begins domestically and reflects the quality of governance, public trust and institutional capacity within the country.

Speaking first, Egbetokun said Nigeria’s standing in global peace operations mirrors the professionalism, discipline and accountability of its police force at home. He warned that international deployments cannot compensate for weak domestic institutions.

“Effective peacekeeping policing reflects legitimacy, discipline and public trust, both at home and abroad,” the IGP said, stressing that Nigeria’s credibility in global security cooperation depends on sustained police reform and respect for human rights within the country.

He traced Nigeria’s peacekeeping history to 1960, shortly after independence, noting that Nigerian police officers have since served continuously under the United Nations, African Union and ECOWAS across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean. According to him, over 12,000 Nigerian police officers have participated in peace operations worldwide.

Egbetokun said modern peacekeeping now places police officers at the centre of civilian protection, electoral security, community policing, public order management and post-conflict stabilisation, roles that demand professionalism and adaptability amid rising threats such as violent extremism and transnational crime.

Reinforcing the IGP’s position, Prof. Osaghae said Nigeria’s peacekeeping performance abroad is primarily a reflection of its internal policing capacity.

“These challenges are even more primarily domestic. They are internal to us,” the NIIA DG said. “What the police is doing outside is a reflection of its abilities and capacities within.”

Osaghae noted that while challenges persist, the Nigeria Police Force has undergone significant transformation over the past two decades, particularly in skills acquisition and operational capacity.

“If you compare the Nigeria Police Force today to what it was twenty years ago, you will say we have come a long way,” he said, adding that even non-police observers can see improvements in training and professionalism.

He disclosed that the NIIA plans to deepen collaboration with the police leadership to establish an International Centre for Peacekeeping and Policing, aimed at strengthening research, training and institutional memory in line with global best practices.

Also speaking, Prince Adewole Adebayo said Nigeria’s long-running debate over federal, state or local policing misses the real issue, which is good governance, rule of law and police welfare.

According to the former presidential candidate, Nigerians are less concerned about the structure of the police force and more interested in safety and security.

“The Nigerian people don’t care whether the police is federal, state or local,” Adebayo said. “What they want is safety and security. If one police force run by all levels of government works, Nigerians will accept it. If decentralisation improves security, they will also accept it.”

He stressed that police officers operate within the limits of laws and policies made by political leaders, arguing that responsibility for policing failures ultimately lies with those in power.

“The police do not write the law. They do not write policies,” he said. “It is national and political leaders who must create a good society. When you give the police a good society to police, they will police it.”

Adebayo further linked effective policing to broader economic conditions, saying police welfare cannot be isolated from the rising cost of living.

“When prices come down, housing is affordable and healthcare is accessible, the salary paid to police officers will go much further,” he said, adding that free education and affordable healthcare would significantly improve police performance.

He rejected the notion that Nigerians are inherently hostile to the police, noting that most officers come from the same communities they serve and share the same economic struggles.

All three speakers converged on the view that policing is a shared societal responsibility, requiring cooperation between citizens, political leaders and security institutions.

Egbetokun said the evolving nature of global and domestic security threats demands innovation, better coordination and sustained investment in police capacity, while Osaghae emphasised institutional learning and research as critical to reform.

As Nigeria confronts rising insecurity at home and increasing complexity in global peace operations, the speakers agreed that the path forward lies not in rhetoric, but in accountable leadership, improved welfare and sustained reform of the police institution.