President expands police training capacity amid security concerns
President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new campus of the Nigeria Police Academy in Erinja, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The approval includes a special take off grant of ₦15 billion to support the development of the institution, according to a statement issued on Monday by his media aide, Bayo Onanuga.
The decision is in line with the provisions of the Nigeria Police Academy Establishment Act 2021, which provides for the expansion of the academy currently located in Wudil into multiple campuses across the country.
According to the statement, the intervention fund will be drawn from the TetFund 2026 allocation and will be used to finance infrastructure, academic facilities, student accommodation and essential training assets.
The choice of Erinja as the host community followed recommendations from a high level consultative meeting involving the Minister of Police Affairs, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Inspector General of Police and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission.
The meeting reviewed factors including student intake capacity, funding constraints, academic quality assurance and the long term manpower needs of the Nigeria Police Force, which is currently undergoing expansion.
The presidency said Tinubu believes the move will strengthen institutional governance, improve policing education and enhance national security.
The development comes nearly five months after the president declared a nationwide security emergency in response to rising attacks and abductions. As part of that directive, he authorised the recruitment of an additional 20,000 police officers and approved the upgrade of training facilities nationwide.
Tinubu also permitted the use of National Youth Service Corps camps as temporary training depots and ordered the withdrawal of police personnel from VIP protection duties. He said those affected should undergo crash training before being redeployed to areas facing security challenges.