Police Flag of Nigeria
Map of Nigeria

• Nigeria is situated on the West of Africa and lies within Latitudes
4 O North and 14 O North between Longitudes 3 O East and 15 O
East.
• Total area: 923,768sqkm.
• Land: 910,768sq. km and Water 13,000sq. km
• Land boundaries: 4,047km
• Coastline: 853km
• Boundaries: West ( Benin Republic) 773 km, East (Cameroon )
1690kmNorth (Chad) 87km and (Niger) 1497km, South (Gulf of
Guinea and Equatorial Guinea) Maritime boundary.
• Total population: 152.2 Million people (Ratio 1:04) of Male/
Female. Population growth rate: 3.05% GDP :- 2010 estimate
Total $216.803 billion per capital $ 1,389

• National day/ independence: 1 st October, 1960.
• Currency: Naira and kobo
• Africa largest oil producer and 6 th largest in the world.
• Abuja is the Federal capital (officially moved from Lagos on 12 th
December, 1991.
• Official language: English
• Life expectancy: 54-65 years, suffrage- 18 years.
• Time: GMT+ 1 Hour
• Country IDD: +234

Nigeria Police command structure:-
(a) Force Headquartersi. Office of the Inspector-General of Police ii. Office of the Second in Command iii. Departments:-
‘A’ Department -Administration
‘B’ Department - Operations
‘C’ Department - Works
‘D’ Department - Investigation/ Intelligence
‘E’ Department - Training and Evaluation
.
‘F’ Department - Research & Planning

The departments are headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police
(b) Zonal Commands : The 36 states and FCT are divided into 12 Zonal
Commands and each is headed by Assistant Inspector-General of
Police.
(c) 36 states and FCT commands - Headed by Commissioner of Police.
(d) 123 Area Commands - Headed by Assistant Commissioners of Police.
(e) 1115 Police Divisions - Headed by Chief Superintendents of Police (C
SP-DSPs).
(f) 5515 police Stations - Headed by Station officers (ASP and
Inspectors.
(g) 5000 Police Posts - Headed by Police Post Officers (Inspectors &
NCOs).

(h) Specialist Units:-
These are branches and specialized units of the police, equipped with special facilities and gears to provide the necessary tools required carrying out specialized operations in designated areas and for designed tasks. These units include Marine Police, Air wing, Railway, Forensic, Signals, police Mobile Force, Mechanical
Workshops, Medical, Mounted Troops, Dog and Veterinary services, motor traffic Divisions, Tailoring and Printing services, etc.
The Ministry that heads the Nigeria Police is Ministry of Police affairs.
Law/order governing police function in Nigeria Police are:i. Section 194 of the Nigeria Constitution 1999 as amended; ii. The Nigeria Police Act and Regulation and Any other Act; iii. The Nigeria police is subjected to political influence

STATISTICAL SITUATION OF POLICE IN NIGERIA
STRENGTH OF THE FORCE FROM IGP-ASP II AS AT 23/08/11
RANKS
NO
FEMALE
MALE
FEMALE
PERCENTAG
E
MALE
PERCENTAG
E
IGP
1
NIL
1
0%
100% 85.7
%
1
6
DIG
7
14.3
%
AIG
21
NIL
21
0%
100% 92.2
%
CP
102
8
94
DCP
139
15
124
ACP
366
18
348
CSP
957
62
895
SP
1344
116
1228
DSP
2772
155
2617
ASP1
7162
353
6809
ASP11
12586
124
12462
7.8% 9.3% 5.2% 6.4% 8.3% 5.8% 4.9% 0.7%
TOTAL
25457
851
24606
3.2%
90.7
%
94.8
%
93.6
%
91.7
%
94.2
%
95.1
%
99.3% 96.8%
STRENGTH OF THE FORCE FROM INSPECTOR TO CONSTABLE
RANKS
NO
FEMALE
MALE
FEMALE %
MALE %
INSPECTOR
23763
851
22912
4.0%
96.0%
SERGEANT
39555
1148
38407
3.0%
97.0%
CORPORAL
54772
7259
47513
13.0%
87.0%
CONSTABLE
133523
21887
111636
16.4%
83.0%
TOTAL
251613
31145
220468
12.4%
87.6%

Under section 4 of the Police act, Cap P19, LFN, 2004, provides six broad functions for the Nigeria Police Force, namelyo-Crime prevention;
-Detection and apprehension of offenders;
-Preservatiin of law and order;
-protection of life and property; and,
-Enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are directly charged. These include laws and regulation made by federal, state and local governments.
-performance of such military duties within or outsides Nigeria as may be required of them by, or under the authority of this or any other Act.

According to Section 121 of the Police Regulations provides that; women police officers shall as a general rule be employed on duties which are concerned with women and children, and shall be particularly employed in the following duties:-
* Investigation of sexual offences against women and children
* Recording of statements from female witnesses, accused persons and children.
* School crossing
* Crowd control , where women and children are present in any number.
* Attendance when women or children are being interviewed by male police officers.
* Searching, escorting and guarding of women prisoners to or from police station.
Section 122 of the Regulation further provides that women police officers recruited to the general duties branch of the force may in order to relief male police officers on duties, be employed in any of the following office duties;
* Clerical duties
* Telephone Dutieswhich the male colleagues considered unimportant.
• Office orderly duties.

The duties assigned to women police officers by law indicate a patriarchal attitude. The provisions on duties and deployment clearly discriminate against women. These job assignments are important from perspective of active policing

The recognition of historical and global discrimination against women prompted the United Nation organization to declare
1975-1985 as “DECADE FOR WOMEN”. This declaration was to raise global awareness on status of women and to mobilize the world community to eliminate discrimination against women, so that women may attain equal economic, social, political and legal status with their male counterparts.
The level of female representation in the Nigeria Police Force may be the attribute that ‘women’s place is in the home’ and that, women ought not to be either ‘practitioner or manager of violence and its instruments.’

Section 126 of the police Regulations provides that “A married woman police officer who is pregnant may be granted maternity leave in accordance with the provisions of general order (a federal government instruction that regulated the condition of public officials). However, an unmarried woman police officer who is pregnant shall be discharged from the force. Very few state Commands make provision for day care facilities.
This is another dimension of discrimination in relation to posting and transfer; this is a serious issue in a large country like Nigeria. Section 125 of the police Regulation states that:-
“A married woman police officer shall not be granted any special privileges by reason of the fact that she is married and shall be subjected to posting and transfer as it were unmarried.”
Women in Nigeria Police now head State police commands and performing better than their male counterparts, for DIG Ivy Okoronkwo, the second in
Command in the Nigeria Police Force was a Commissioner of Police in
Ekiti state, a volatile state, she brought the security situation under control and relative peace and tranquility was restored.

Women officers can reach higher positions, it is significant to mention several women who played and hold vital positions in the Nigeria Police
Force. The second in Command to the Inspector General of Police,
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mrs Ivy Okoronkwo, Retired DIGs
Mrs Abimbola Ojomo and Mrs Florence Adebanjo, who headed the
Force criminal investigation department and the apex Police training institution- Police staff college, Jos. Retired Assistant Inspector General of Police- Mrs R.I. Iyamabo, Mrs Ugoma, who headed the
Administrative department, Dr. (Mrs.) Rose Abang Wushishi, the first female Police to obtain a doctorate degree and the secretary to the force and later in charge of Training department and Mrs Farida Waziri,
Chairperson of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, many
Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners,
Divisional Police Officers, Divisional Crime Officers etc

There is no barrier to promotion of women officers in the Nigeria Police Force .
Every Officer (male or female) is expected to pass prescribed examination to qualify them for promotion. There is no limit to which a woman can be promoted; it is only the rank of Inspector General of Police that a woman has not yet attained in the Nigeria Police Force. Equal training opportunities both locally and abroad are benefited by Nigeria Police women. Several Officers have been sent on foreign training to Italy, U.S.A., France, Ghana, Kenya etc