Buhari Re-Organises Nigeria Police Force, Decentralise Force CID, Creates Five New Zonal Commands

President Muhammadu Buhari in his capacity as the Chairman, Nigeria Police Council, has approved the re-organisation of the Nigeria Police Force with immediate effect.

The re-organisation will affect the Intelligence Arm of the Force, the Force Criminal Investigation Department; the Zonal Police Headquarters Structure and the Premier Nigeria Police Colleges.

Mohammed Adamu, inspector General of Police, IGP, made this known in a letter entitled “Force Re-Organisation” dated May 27, 2020, and addressed to the Deputy Inspector Generals of Police, Assistant Inspector Generals of Police, Commissioners of Police; the Commandant of Police Colleges in Ikeja, Kaduna, Oji-River and Maiduguri and the DETCOL, Enugu.

According to the letter, the Force Intelligence Bureau, FIB, will be formally excised from the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, to become a full-fledged Department to be headed by a deputy inspector general of police, DIG.

“This is expected to fully integrate intelligence-led policing strategy to the community policing initiative in addressing the threats that the dynamics of crime poses ti the country. With this approval, the Nigeria Police force now has Eight (8) Departments.”

The Force Criminal Investigation Department will be decentralised in line with the principle of community policing.

“Two (2) additional annex Offices of the Department {is} to be established with one in Enugu to take care of investigations of major crimes emanating from the South East and South South Geopolitical Zones (as may be referred by the Inspector-General of Police) and the second in Gombe to take care of the investigation of major crimes from the North East Geopolitical Zone (as may be referred by the the Inspector-General of Police).

“This is in addition to the existing FCID Annex Offices in Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu and Gombe to be headed by Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) who are to report to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police-in-charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja,” the letter stated.

Also, in order to bring police service closer to citizens, five additional zonal commands will be created by the Force.

They will comprise Ondo/Ekiti Commands with headquarter at Akure, Enugu/Anambra/Ebonyi Commands with headquarter at Ukpo-Dunukofia (Awka); Bayelsa/Rivers Commands with headquarter at Yenagoa; Yobe/Borno Commands with headquarter at Maiduguri and the Katsina/Kaduna Commands with headquarter at Katsina.

According to Adamu, in order to enhance the capacity of the four premier Police Colleges in Kaduna, Ikeja, Maiduguri and Orji River towards meeting training and capacity development projection of the Force in relation to junior cadre officers, Buhari approved that the status of the Commandants of the colleges be upgraded to the rank of assistant inspector general of police.

“This will strengthen administration, enhance the commitment of staff, and engender higher level of discipline and the quality of training at the colleges,” he wrote.

He stated that the approvals were granted by the president in furtherance to the need to expand and strengthen the Intelligence Department towards driving the intelligence-led policing strategy of the Force leadership and to aid in the entrenchment of the community policing practice as approved by the federal government.