Nigeria Police Recruits 10,000 Constables to Boost Security Nationwide

By Oluwakemi Kindness

In an effort to improve public safety and close manpower gaps, the Nigeria Police Force has deployed 10,000 newly trained Constables across the country. The new officers officially passed out on October 7, 2025, after undergoing rigorous training at Police Colleges and Training Institutions nationwide. Their deployment comes amid rising security challenges, including banditry,  kidnapping, and insurgency, that continue to strain the nation’s law enforcement capacity. Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, described the new intake as “a strategic step in rebuilding trust and capacity”, charging the recruits to serve with honour, diligence, and patriotism.

“This marks a new phase in our ongoing reform to make the Police more professional, community-driven, and people-centred,” Egbetokun said.

He noted that the training curriculum focused on community policing, intelligence-led operations, and human rights standards, aimed at aligning Nigeria’s law enforcement practices with global policing standards.This latest recruitment brings the number of new constables in 2025 to 20,000, following a similar batch earlier in the year. Security analysts said the sustained intake underscores the urgent need to close Nigeria’s long-standing policing gap.

With fewer than 400,000 officers currently serving a population of over 200 million, Nigeria’s police-to-citizen ratio remains far below the United Nations recommendation of 1:450.
While the fresh recruits are expected to improve police visibility and response time, experts caution that effective policing requires more, than numbers it demands consistent training, welfare, and institutional reform.

The IGP assured that the Force is implementing comprehensive reforms focused on officer welfare, continuous capacity development, and digital modernization.
“We are building a 21st-century Police Force—better trained, better equipped, and more responsive to the needs of Nigerians,” Egbetokun said.

He added that the new officers will be deployed to priority areas, particularly communities vulnerable to violent crime, as part of the Police’s effort to rebuild public confidence through community engagement.