Human Rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Nigerian government and police authorities of orchestrating a large-scale payroll fraud while diverting thousands of police personnel from public safety duties.
In a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, Sowore claimed that Nigeria has about 210,000 active police officers, far fewer than the 350,000 for whom salaries are reportedly paid. He alleged that a significant portion of the payroll exists only on paper, with funds siphoned through networks of proxy beneficiaries to senior police officials.
“This systemic payroll fraud not only robs the public treasury but also explains chronic understaffing on the streets, poor morale among rank-and-file officers, and the nationwide collapse of effective public policing,” Sowore said.
He also criticized the concentration of officers in private security roles, noting that 11,500 officers, around 5.4% of the force, are assigned to protect fewer than 10,000 VIPs. Sowore added that over 100,000 officers have been effectively withdrawn from public policing to serve in private security roles, banks, schools, corporate facilities, religious sites, and even land disputes, rather than safeguarding communities.
“This is not policing; it is the privatisation of public security, and it explains why insecurity thrives while the powerful remain insulated,” he said.
Sowore’s claims come as Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun confirmed the recent redeployment of 11,566 officers from VIP protection to frontline policing following President Bola Tinubu’s directive. The IGP said the move aims to strengthen security in towns, rural areas, and vulnerable communities, enhance intelligence-led operations, and improve rapid response capabilities.
Egbetokun emphasized that the redeployment is part of the Nigeria Police Force’s core mandate to protect citizens and maintain public order, stressing that it is not politically motivated.
