The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has assured Nigerians that the conduct of police personnel before, during and after the 2027 general elections will make citizens proud of the Nigeria Police Force.
Disu pledged that officers would demonstrate professionalism during the polls, adding that the force was drawing lessons from previous elections to improve its performance.
The police chief spoke with journalists after the launch of The Origin of Women in Nigeria Police Force, a book written by 96-year-old Dame Stella Okuyiga, a retired Deputy Commissioner of Police and one of the first 20 female officers to join the force.
He disclosed that the police had recently convened a conference involving commissioners of police and other senior officers to review their performance in previous elections and strengthen preparations for the 2027 polls.
“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 had reviewed its successes and shortcomings to identify areas requiring improvement ahead of the nationwide exercise.
“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.
“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 assured.
Disu celebrates pioneer female police officers
The IGP also commended Okuyiga for documenting her experiences and contributions to the development of women in the Nigeria Police Force.
He said the publication would preserve valuable institutional knowledge and provide inspiration for younger generations of female officers.
“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.
Disu said the police leadership was committed to preserving the institution’s history and recognising the contributions of its pioneers.
“We in the police, we are starting up the history of not leaving our own, not forgetting our own,” he added.
He disclosed that the force would ensure that copies of the book were made available to police training institutions to enable officers to learn about the experiences of early female personnel.
Speaking at the event, Okuyiga expressed joy that her publication would preserve her experiences and allow future generations to learn from her life’s work.
“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.
“So I’m so happy that with all that is happening today, I will continue to live forever,” she said.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Dagogo Wokama, launched the book with a donation of ₦20 million.
The event comes as the police intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the force pledging to strengthen professionalism and improve its handling of electoral security.
