NIIA, Police Deepen Partnership on Peacekeeping as Osaghae, Egbetokun Highlight Nigeria’s Global Policing Legacy
By Adeola Oluwole
The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), has hosted a two-day international symposium titled “The Nigeria Police and the Peace Process in Africa,” reaffirming Nigeria’s long-standing leadership in global peacekeeping and international policing.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Lagos, the Director-General of NIIA, Professor Eghosa Osaghae, described the Nigeria Police Force as “Africa’s showcase police force” with an extraordinary record in international peace operations spanning over six decades.
According to Osaghae, the Nigerian Police has played a pivotal role in global peace and security far beyond Nigeria’s borders, beginning with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Congo in 1960.
“Not many people know that in far-flung places such as East Timor, Kosovo, Haiti, Somalia, Sudan, the Czech Republic and many other global flashpoints, the Nigerian Police Force has been there, doing extraordinary things in pursuit of international peace, security and prosperity,” he said.
He noted that Nigeria’s police contributions are remembered not only in Africa but across Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, adding that Nigeria’s closest peer in peacekeeping policing globally is India.
Osaghae further revealed that many Nigerian police officers who served in peace missions later rose to become commanding officers under the United Nations, African Union and ECOWAS frameworks, a testament to their professionalism and competence.
Plan for International Peacekeeping Centre
The NIIA DG announced plans to establish, in partnership with the Nigeria Police Force, an International Centre for Peacekeeping and Policing, alongside an annual special lecture on police and peacekeeping at the Institute.
“What the NIIA does best is strengthen capacity for understanding global complexities and addressing insecurity, peace and prosperity. This partnership with a forward-looking police force will not stop here,” Osaghae said.
He also urged Nigerians to support the police, stressing that domestic policing challenges reflect broader societal issues.
“To have a better police, you need a better society. The police is the mirror of our development at any point in time,” he added.
Chairman Hails Police Evolution, Calls for Investment
Chairman of the occasion, Prince Dr Adewale Adebayo, traced the historical evolution of the Nigeria Police from its establishment in Lagos in 1861 to its formal emergence as a national force on April 1, 1930.
He said the police has always been international in outlook, reflecting Nigeria’s economic, political and democratic journey.
“Any commentary on a society starts with its police. The Nigerian Police Force reflects the realities of our development—its strengths and its challenges,” Adebayo said.
He emphasised that effective policing requires sustained investment, capacity building and political will, noting that no police force anywhere in the world is perfect.
“Good policing costs money. Forensics, investigations, technology, training—these are expensive. You cannot expect world-class policing without serious investment,” he stated.
Egbetokun Reaffirms Nigeria’s Peacekeeping Commitment
In his keynote address, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun, reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to international peacekeeping, describing it as a core expression of the country’s multilateral and global responsibilities.
“Peacekeeping is not merely the absence of armed conflict. It is the deliberate construction of conditions that allow human dignity, democratic governance, development and justice to flourish,” Egbetokun said.
He disclosed that Nigeria’s engagement in international peace operations began immediately after independence, with Nigerian police officers deployed to the UN mission in the Congo in 1960—one of Africa’s earliest police contributions to UN peacekeeping.
Since then, he said, the Nigeria Police Force has maintained uninterrupted participation in peace operations under the UN, African Union and ECOWAS across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
Countries where Nigerian police officers have served include Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, DR Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Burundi, Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Western Sahara, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Haiti, Cambodia and Afghanistan, among others.
The IGP highlighted the deployment of Nigeria’s first Formed Police Unit in 2004 as a major doctrinal shift from observer roles to robust, mandate-driven policing.
Five Pillars of Nigeria’s Peacekeeping Contribution
Egbetokun outlined five core areas where the Nigerian Police adds value to modern peace operations:
1. Protection of civilians and community security
2. Rule of law and institutional capacity building
3. Electoral and democratic security
4. Specialised policing capabilities, including crowd control and critical infrastructure protection
5. Leadership within global policing architecture
He acknowledged emerging challenges such as asymmetric threats, violent extremism, cybercrime and transnational organised crime, stressing that these challenges demand reform, innovation and stronger partnerships.
Domestic Reform Key to Global Credibility
The IGP concluded that Nigeria’s future peacekeeping role depends on aligning with UN and AU reform agendas, strengthening specialised capabilities, modernising institutions, enhancing language proficiency, deepening regional integration and sustaining police reform at home.
“International credibility is inseparable from domestic professionalism, accountability and respect for human rights,” Egbetokun said.
The symposium drew diplomats, scholars, security experts, senior police officers, representatives of foreign missions and members of the media, reinforcing Nigeria’s strategic role in shaping peacekeeping and policing across Africa and beyond.
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