As a Nigerian, you see a police officer every day, multiple times on certain days. While some are posted at various offices and police stations, others are stationed at different road points. And one thing is the goal: helping the government maintain peace and order in society. But we are not here to discuss their role in society, which many are already familiar with, at least to a great degree. What we will be looking into in this article include the ranks in the police force, the obtainable salary, their uniform, symbols, logo, Academy, recruitment process & portal.
Before delving into all those, let us first pay some homage to the Nigerian Police Force by giving an accurate description of them.
Nigerian Police Force
Nigeria’s primary law enforcement and top security organization is the Nigeria Police Force. As of 2016, it employed about 371,800 people and was designated by the 1999 constitution as Nigeria’s national police, with exclusive jurisdiction over the entire nation. There are plans to raise the force to 650,000 by bringing on 280,000 recruits in addition to the present 370,000. The 36 State commands, 17 zones, and eight administrative organs that make up the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Nigeria Police Force make up this enormous organization. IGP (Inspector General) Usman Alkali Baba oversees the agency. It underwent significant renovations in 2020.
Ranks
Most of the time, police officers are unarmed, but when specific tasks or situations call for it, they are given weapons. To improve police-community relations, Babangida declared in 1989 that more officers would be reassigned to their home regions, despite the frequent missions throughout the nation at the time. However, there were no reviews on how well this concept facilitated police work in the country. As a result, in late 1986, the NPF’s command structure connected to specific Nigerian states was replaced with seven statewide commands. Each of these commands has a police commissioner as its top official, and it is further divided into provincial and police units run by local officials.
Below is an order list of the police ranks in Nigeria:
- Corporal
- Sergeant
- 3rd Sergeant major
- Inspector
- Assistant Superintendent
- Deputy Superintendent
- Superintendent
- Chief Superintendents
- Commissioner of Police
- Inspector General
Salary
Following the 2010 pay raise, the federal government, led by Goodluck Jonathan, expanded the wage and allowance package to include the military, paramilitary, police, and intelligence community, which had previously not always been subject to comparable salary appraisals. As a result, the total wage cost increased to N267.4 billion in 2010 due to extending the jumbo rise to other public employees rather than the core civil officials.
Like in any other profession, police officers’ salaries vary depending on their rank and experience. In this report, we will examine the salaries of different ranks in the NPF, from cadet inspectors to the Inspector General of Police. The remuneration information for Nigerian police officers according to rank or grade is shown below.
Commissioned officers Salaries
| Rank | Monthly Salary | Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Inspector General | NGN 711,450 | NGN 8,537,980 |
| Deputy Inspector-General of Police | NGN 546,572.80 | NGN 6,558,872.76 |
| Assistant Inspector-General of Police | NGN 499,751.87 | NGN 5,997,022.44 |
| Commissioner of Police (Grade 15, Step 6) | NGN 302,970.47 | NGN 3,635,645.64 |
| Commissioner of Police (Grade 15, Step 1) | NGN 266,777.79 | NGN 3,201,333.48 |
| Deputy Commissioner of Police (Grade 14, Step 7) | NGN 278,852.79 | NGN 3,346,233.48 |
| Deputy Commissioner of Police (Grade 14, Step 1) | NGN 242,715.65 | NGN 2,912,587.80 |
| Assistant Commissioner of Police (Grade 13, Step 10) | NGN 212,938.16 | NGN 2,555,257.90 |
| Assistant Commissioner of Police (Grade 13, Step 1) | NGN 183,185.73 | NGN 2,198,228.76 |
| Chief Superintendent of Police (Grade 12, Step 8) | NGN 199,723.90 | NGN 2,396,687.60 |
| Chief Superintendent of Police (Grade 12, Step 1) | NGN 172,089.06 | NGN 2,065,068.72 |
| Superintendent of Police (Grade 11, Step 10) | NGN 187,616.69 | NGN 2,251,400.28 |
| Superintendent of Police (Grade 11, Step 1) | NGN 161,478.29 | NGN 1,937,739.48 |
| Deputy Superintendent of Police (Grade 10, Step 10) | NGN 170,399.69 | NGN 2,044,796.28 |
| Deputy Superintendent of Police (Grade 10, Step 1) | NGN 148,733.29 | NGN 1,784,799.48 |
| Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP2) (Grade 09, Step 10) | NGN 156,318.39 | NGN 1,875,820.68 |
| Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP1) (Grade 09, Step 1) | NGN 136,616.06 | NGN 1,639,392.72 |
| Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) (Grade 08, Step 10) | NGN 144,152.07 | NGN 1,729,824.84 |
| Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) (Grade 08, Step 1) | NGN 127,604.68 | NGN 1,531,256.16 |
| Cadet Inspector (Grade 07, Step 10) | NGN 87,135.70 | NGN 1,045,628.10 |
| Cadet Inspector (Grade 07, Step 1) | NGN 73,231.51 | NGN 878,778.12 |
Note: All salaries are in Nigerian Naira (NGN). The salaries mentioned in this table are subject to change and are accurate as of the knowledge.
Non-commissioned officers
| Rank/Position | Grade Level | Step | Monthly Salary | Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Major | 06 | 10 | NGN62,204.88 | NGN746,458.56 |
| Sergeant Major | 06 | 1 | NGN55,144.81 | NGN661,737.72 |
| Police Sergeant | 05 | 10 | NGN55,973.84 | NGN671,686.08 |
| Police Sergeant | 05 | 1 | NGN48,540.88 | NGN582,490.56 |
| Police Corporal | 04 | 10 | NGN51,113.59 | NGN613,365.08 |
| Police Corporal | 04 | 1 | NGN44,715.53 | NGN536,586.36 |
| Police Constable | 10 | N/A | NGN51,113.59 | NGN613,363.08 |
| Police Constable | 03 | N/A | NGN43,293.80 | NGN519,525.60 |
| Police Recruit | N/A | N/A | NGN9,019.40 | NGN108,233.20 |
Note: All salaries are in Nigerian Naira (NGN). The salaries mentioned in this table are subject to change and are accurate as of the knowledge.
Uniform
The Nigerian Police Force received federal approval for a new camouflage uniform in 2012, and the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), donning the outfit, launched the test run of the garment, which was made to enhance the reputation of police officers and prevent them from getting intimidated when they encounter criminals. The camouflage, a blend of black, white, and ash colors, serves as an operating uniform for the police with some intrinsic advantages.
Symbols & Logo
The following symbols represent the various ranks in the police force.
Police Corporal
Police Sergeant
Sergeant Major
Cadet Inspector
Assistant Superintendent of Police
Superintendent of Police
Chief Superintendent of Police
Assistant Commissioner of Police
Deputy Commissioner of Police
Commissioner of Police
Assistant Inspector General of Police
Deputy Inspector General of Police
Inspector General of Police
The Nigerian Police Logo
Academy, Recruitment Process & Portal
Academy
The Nigerian Police Academy is comparable to the Nigerian Defense Academy, which provides academic and military training for military officers. Both academics and police training are part of the police academy. Before receiving the rank of ASP, you must work for the Nigerian Police for at least five years. Be aware that those who joined the Nigerian Police through the Cadet ASP Program and Nigerian Police Academy receive more fantastic pay than those who entered through the Nigerian Police Recruitment.
Recruitment Process & Portal
Interested candidates are urged to obtain or produce a Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR) Code by visiting the Nigeria Police Academy’s website at www.polac.edu.ng. The received RRR number can be used to pay N3,000.00 at any commercial bank branch in Nigeria. In addition, applicants must apply through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Test (UTME). Please remember that candidates do not need to name the Police Academy as their preferred university on the JAMB form.
However, only candidates who got the minimum UTME scores set by JAMB and purchased the Academy’s online application form would be eligible to participate in the Nigeria Police Academy Selection Examination when it is scheduled. Therefore, online application submission is required. In addition, candidates must download the Acknowledgement Form once their applications have been submitted. Candidates who met or exceeded the minimal national cut-off score can download and print their examination cards.