The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has inaugurated the newly completed Nigeria Police Intelligence School, Share, Kwara State, signifying the birth of a bold new chapter in the evolution of the Nigeria Police Force.

Egbetokun said the Intelligence School will serve as a hub to train officers in modern intelligence techniques, equipping them with the prerequisite skills and knowledge necessary to effectively combat all forms of crime, terrorism, and other security threats.

He said the School, which will be open to members of other security and intelligence agencies, will offer training programs in areas such as intelligence analysis, cybercrime investigation, forensic science, and counter-terrorism strategies as part of its curriculum.

The IGP, while appreciating the host community for the school, promised that it would operate at maximum functionality with immediate effect.

Egbetokun also reiterated the need for a proactive, intelligence-led, and community-oriented approach to policing, further highlighting the importance of continuous training, capacity building, and adoption of modern technologies to effectively address the evolving security challenges facing the nation,

He stressed the significance of collaboration between the police, academic institutions, and communities in fostering a safe and secure environment for all citizens.

Egbetokun opined thus at the Maiden CPSS Distinguished Alumni Public Lecture of the Al-Hikmah University Centre for Peace and Security Studies, Kwara State, where he served as its first ever Guest Lecturer in the series, and delivered a lecture paper titled “Effective Policing of Nigeria for Sustainable Peace and Development: Role of Stakeholders”.

As part of his robust lecture, the IGP emphasised that security transcends the use of kinetic and non-kinetic approaches, and involves environmental, economic, human, and food security, amongst others.

Egbetokun assured that the Nigeria Police Force will continually pursue strategies aimed at enhancing its intelligence capabilities and proactive community engagements to bridge the schism between the Police and the public.

He urged the public, as strategic stakeholders in security, to employ the use of CCTVs and other permissible technological devices to assist the police in its task of crime prevention and achieve a more secure society.

Egbetokun was accompanied by senior police officers, including the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police in charge of the Force Intelligence Department and the Department of Logistics and Supply, DIGs Benjamin Okolo, and Adebola Hamzat, and the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi.

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi in a signed statement disclosed that during the commissioning, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, represented by the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development, Abubakar Bata, commended the IGP for the significant establishment in the State.

He said the significant establishment evidences the IGP’s passion to leverage intelligence gathering, analysis, and dissemination capabilities in the Nigeria Police to decimate crimes and criminality.