The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has issued a stern warning to officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to steer clear of land disputes and other civil cases.

In a video post on the Force’s X handle on Thursday, the IGP declared that officers “have no business escorting parties for land recovery.” The police chief warned that the Force is not an enforcer for private businesses. According to him, such actions by officers bring the Force into disrepute, stressing that any officer found culpable will face disciplinary action.

He said, “Let me reiterate without ambiguity; the Nigeria Police Force is not and will never become an enforcer for private interests. Officers have no business escorting parties for land recovery business, disrupting legally existing occupations, or meddling in civil cases without a demonstrable criminal element.

“Every such incident erodes the neutrality of the force and opens us up to disrepute. The line must be clear and any officer who crosses it must face disciplinary consequences.”

The IGP yesterday also declared open a nationwide training session for police operatives on the use of the newly introduced Criminal Database Systems, and described it as the “nervous system of 21st century Nigerian policing.”

Speaking in Abuja at the official opening of the training, Egbetokun said the programme signaled a shift from reactive policing to a proactive, intelligence-led model anchored on data, predictive analysis, and global integration.

“This training is more than an exercise. It is a declaration that the NPF has stepped into a new era. Without data, there is no memory. Without memory, there is no justice. But with data, there is no hiding place for criminals,” the police chief declared.

The IGP stressed that one of the greatest weaknesses of policing in Nigeria had been poor record-keeping, scattered files, and fragmented intelligence, often leading to stalled prosecutions, forgotten cases, and eroded public trust.

He said: “For too long, Nigerian policing has been limited by weak records, scattered files, and fragmented intelligence. That era ends today. With the support of the Federal Government and our partners, we are building a system where every arrest is recorded, every case is documented, and every officer is accountable. No case will vanish into forgotten files. No conviction will disappear into silence.”

Egbetokun emphasized that trust in policing begins with proper record-keeping, assuring citizens that the system will ensure complaints are captured, tracked, and followed through to logical conclusions.

The IGP stressed the critical responsibility of operatives undergoing the training, noting that they would serve as custodians of the nation’s crime data at divisional, zonal, and state levels.

“Every case you enter, every record you preserve, every link you verify, will strengthen justice in our nation. You are not merely handling files; you are safeguarding the future,” he charged.

According to him, accuracy and diligence on their part could make the difference between criminals walking free and justice being served.

Egbetokun also linked the initiative to Nigeria’s commitment to global policing standards, saying the new system would integrate seamlessly with international databases.

“Through integration with INTERPOL, the African Union Border Programme, and UNODC frameworks in West Africa, we are ensuring that criminal offenders in Nigeria will no longer find sanctuary abroad. When a trafficker is convicted in Nigeria, the world must know. When a weapon is seized at our borders, its trail must echo across continents,” he said. (The Guardian)