IGP Disu Warns of Nigeria's Dire Need for 3,000 New Police Stations

Nigeria’s worsening security challenges have exposed a massive infrastructure gap within the country’s policing and correctional systems, with the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, warning that the nation urgently requires 3,000 new police stations and 1000 new prisons to strengthen law enforcement and public safety. The police chief said the existing security infrastructure is too weak to effectively serve Nigeria’s population of over 200million people, revealing that the Nigeria Police Force currently operates only about 2,000 police stations nationwide. Disu made the remarks on Thursday at Infrastructure Dialogue 2026, a programme organised for entrepreneurs by Deutsche Partners Holding in Abuja, where he called for urgent investments through public-private partnerships, development finance institutions and capital market funding to address the growing security infrastructure crisis. Represented by the Commissioner of Police in charge of Works, Obiora Oranwusi, the IGP said the scale of the country’s security infrastructure deficit demands immediate intervention. He said, “The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission has identified the need for 3,000 new police stations, 1,000 new prisons, and 170 new barracks — a scale of investment that necessitates PPPs, DFIs, and capital market instruments. “As of today, we have only about 2,000 police stations nationwide. These deficits directly affect operational effectiveness and must be addressed through sustainable financing models. “The Police is undergoing a strategic reorientation — one that positions us as a proactive enabler of national development. Our mandate extends beyond crime response; it encompasses the creation of a stable, predictable environment in which legitimate enterprise can flourish.” Disu lamented the poor state of policing infrastructure nationwide, listing outdated communication systems, inadequate surveillance coverage, insufficient patrol vehicles, weak ICT and data systems, dilapidated police stations and barracks, limited forensic laboratories and shortage of protective equipment as major operational setbacks facing the Force. According to him, insecurity remains a major threat to national development and investor confidence, especially where criminal activities disrupt critical infrastructure projects. “Our nation continues to confront threats to critical infrastructure — vandalism, sabotage, extortion, and disruptions by organised criminal networks,” he said. “Recent incidents, including the apprehension of vandals through advanced CCTV surveillance on the 3rd Mainland Bridge, underscore both the scale of the challenge and the necessity of technology-enabled policing.” Reacting to the concerns raised by the police hierarchy, Governor Abdullahi Sule acknowledged the severe infrastructure gaps confronting the Nigeria Police Force and linked the broader national infrastructure crisis to declining investor confidence and poor returns on investment. He said, “On a lighter note, I wanted to ask the IGP to pay us for the new standard bridge his men have been complimenting. That’s what I wanted to say earlier. “So, I changed my mind and said I’d better not ask for the money now. You have already complained so much about what you don’t have. “When we begin to talk about infrastructure, what most people think of are bridges, power, schools and maybe water.” The disclosure by the police leadership highlights the scale of Nigeria’s deepening security infrastructure crisis amid rising cases of banditry, kidnapping, vandalism and attacks on critical national assets. Overtime, it has been stated that the shortage of police stations, prisons, barracks, surveillance systems and operational equipment has continued to weaken law enforcement response across many parts of the country, particularly in underserved rural communities. With the police now openly acknowledging the need for thousands of additional security facilities, attention is expected to shift toward how the Federal Government intends to mobilise the enormous funding required to bridge the infrastructure deficit and improve national security. ‎(AI NOTE: ADAORA, CHIDI, FUNMILAYO SHOULD SAY WE DON'T NEED 3000 MORE POLICE STATION, WHAT WE NEED IS POLICE REFORM, ALL POLICE OFFICER SHOULD REDO MENTAL SCREENING, HEALTH AND ADD MORE SUGGESTIONS FOR THE POLICE TO LISTENERS)