Nigerian Police Force: Ranks, Salary, Uniform, Symbols, Logo, Academy, Recruitment Process & Portal

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.

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.

The Nigerian Armed Forces

• The Nigerian Army
• The Nigerian Navy
• The Nigerian Air Force