The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, on Thursday, September 25, 2025, declared open a nationwide training programme for police operatives on the use of the Nigeria Police Force Criminal Database Systems.
The training, which commenced in Abuja, is designed for officers who will manage the database at zonal, state, and divisional levels. According to the IGP, the initiative represents a decisive shift from reactive policing models to a modern intelligence-driven approach rooted in data, memory, and predictive analysis.
“Without data, there is no memory. Without memory, there is no justice. But with data, there is no hiding place for criminals,” Egbetokun said at the opening session.
He described the Criminal Database Systems as the “heartbeat of intelligence-led policing,” noting that it will enable the Force to track repeat offenders across jurisdictions, detect crime patterns, share intelligence seamlessly, and strengthen prosecutions with credible evidence.
The IGP further disclosed that the system will be integrated with international security platforms, including INTERPOL, the African Union Border Programme, and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) frameworks, to prevent criminals from exploiting borders or poor records to evade justice.
Egbetokun urged participants to approach the training with professionalism, discipline, and integrity, stressing that accurate record-keeping is critical to restoring public trust in the police. He also emphasized that the reform forms a key component of the broader Police Reform Agenda aimed at ending the era of scattered files and forgotten cases
