A Police Scholar and security expert, Professor Oyesoji Aremu of the University of Ibadan [UI], has called on the newly appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to urgently re-skill the Nigerian Police Force to effectively tackle terrorism and counterinsurgency (COIN) challenges across the country.
Professor Aremu, who is also the acting Vice-Chancellor of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, made the appeal in a piece titled “IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu: Agenda in Times Like These”, made available to The Guardian in Ibadan.
He noted that the Nigeria Police Force has faced image and operational challenges in recent years, particularly at the top hierarchy, and emphasized that the new IGP must ensure the force is equipped with modern skills, intelligence-led strategies, and advanced operational training.
Professor Aremu highlighted that traditional policing methods alone are inadequate to address Nigeria’s increasingly complex security landscape, which includes terrorism, banditry, and insurgency across the Northeast, Northwest, and North Central regions. He urged the IGP to expand inter-agency collaboration with the military and other security outfits to strengthen intelligence gathering, surveillance, and rapid response capabilities.
The scholar also stressed the need for state-of-the-art training programs that expose officers to asymmetric warfare tactics, technology-driven counterterrorism, and coordinated counterinsurgency operations. He noted that past initiatives, including aerial surveillance operations under the former IGP, must be scaled up and institutionalised for long-term impact.
Aremu called on IGP Disu to prioritise the Nigerian Police School Protection Squad (SPS), in collaboration with the Civil Defence’s Safe School Special Response Squad (SSSRS) and the military, to protect schools from recurring attacks and kidnappings, particularly in the North Central region where recent incidents have caused prolonged school closures.
He stated that by re-skilling the police, enhancing operational efficiency, and fostering public trust, IGP Disu can lead the force to be more proactive, responsive, and capable of meeting the country’s security challenges.
