Okiro warns economic hardship undermining police morale, effectiveness Former Inspector General of Police
Former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, has raised alarms over declining morale and operational effectiveness within the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), attributing the crisis to economic hardship, poor welfare, and inadequate infrastructure.
In an interview on Arise News on Monday, Okiro said officers are struggling to cope with the rising cost of living, stagnant salaries, and years of neglect.
“The police have been so neglected no equipment, no power, no infrastructure, no welfare. That’s what I see now,” he stated.
While commending President Bola Tinubu’s recent decision to recruit thousands of new officers, Okiro stressed that manpower expansion alone is insufficient without improvements in remuneration and benefits.
“The welfare is very important for any staff to work… already the morale is down,” he noted.
The former police chief highlighted the pressure officers face due to economic realities.
“The price of things is high. The police is not able to market.
”They have to go to market too,” he explained, emphasising the need for a salary review across all government sectors.
Okiro also underscored the importance of training and modern policing methods to address evolving security challenges.
“Training and retraining is very, very important. The police will be trained and retrained.
”We fall in line with modern methods of policing. We fall in line with modern methods of crime,” he said.
He further called for rapid adoption of technology-based policing, including cyber capabilities.
Highlighting welfare infrastructure, Okiro criticised past policies that led to the disposal of police barracks and residential facilities, worsening living conditions for officers.
He added that human behavior impacts compliance with directives, citing the withdrawal of officers from VIP protection as an example.
“Naturally, human beings are disobedient. We are bullied to it. That is why we have a police force,” he said, stressing the need for task forces to ensure adherence to orders.
Okiro warned that without tangible improvements in pay, welfare, and infrastructure, police morale would continue to decline, leaving citizens more vulnerable to insecurity.
He urged the government to move swiftly from announcements to concrete action to ensure that welfare reforms translate into a more effective and reliable police force nationwide.
