By Kelhinde Adewole
We must speak plainly: Sowore’s assertion that Nigeria has only some 210,000 active police officers, with the remainder being “ghosts”, is a lie from the pit of hell.
It is not only reckless and unverified, but it is also a dangerous distortion that undermines public confidence in our security institutions for no good reason.
The facts contradict Sowore’s narrative
According to publicly available records, the NPF currently lists its sworn strength at about 371,800 officers.
Several recent reports, including those from credible media outlets and oversight bodies, continue to use 370,000+ as the baseline strength for Nigeria’s policing needs.
That figure aligns with the reality that Nigeria remains grossly under-policed, given its population, a fact openly acknowledged by security commentators and analysts.
For Sowore to reduce that realistic figure to “about 210,000 active officers” without providing any verifiable audit, headcount, or credible source is not just irresponsible; it is malicious.
On alleged “ghost” officers and payroll fraud
Sowore’s vivid claim that “through a network of racketeers and proxy beneficiaries across the country, salaries are drawn in the names of non-existent or unavailable officers, with funds routinely remitted back up the chain to senior police officials” is sheer fiction.
There is no credible, recent evidence to support such sweeping allegations under the current leadership of IGP Kayode Egbetokun as Inspector-General of Police.
In fact:
The payroll of the NPF is now administered under the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), a computerised system designed specifically to prevent payroll fraud, ghost workers and salary padding.
When IPPIS was first integrated (several years ago), the number of officers on payroll was adjusted, and a reduction was recorded, but that was part of a broader cleanup across all federal agencies, not a confirmation of Sowore’s extreme assertion.
Indeed, the initial audit under IPPIS revealed a drop in “on-paper” numbers, but that reflected the elimination of ghost or phantom records from a bloated nominal roll, not a wholesale confirmation that only 210,000 officers are active.
In short, IPPIS has proven to be a powerful tool against payroll fraud, widely applauded for cleaning up personnel and payroll data across the police and broader federal service.
On claims of “over 100,000 officers withdrawn from public policing”
Sowore’s dramatic claim that “well over 100,000 police officers are effectively withdrawn from public policing” is, yet again, unsubstantiated and false.
While it is true that there are many officers assigned to VIP or protection duties, a longstanding problem many have highlighted, the latest publicly available estimates don’t support Sowore’s exaggerated figure. For example, recent press accounts estimate the total NPF strength at around 371,800.
Moreover, independent analyses note that, while VIP deployment drains manpower, the idea that this drains over 100,000 officers from public policing under the current IGP has no empirical backing.
It is on record that only 11,566 were deployed to VIPs. Sowore must produce credible, documented evidence, a payroll audit, a deployment roster, or a verified headcount of the 100,000. Otherwise, the claim stands as baseless propaganda.
On the assertion that NPF officers are “deployed to guard militants”
The allegation that NPF personnel are being deployed to guard militants, as claimed by Sowore, is reckless and inflammatory. There is no credible public record supporting this claim.
Indeed, credible reporting on police deployments has repeatedly stressed the shortage of manpower and the challenge of deploying officers efficiently, not an overabundance of diversion to illicit assignments.
To suggest that police officers are used to shield militants, without evidence, is tantamount to defamation and risks undermining public trust in the very institution meant to safeguard lives and property.
A call for calm, truth, and responsibility
I call on the general public, and especially the Nigerian youth who often look up to activists like Sowore, to reject this wave of misinformation.
Posting fake news, concocting baseless numbers and peddling grandiose claims about “ghost police” may get likes on social media, but it damages national security, sows distrust, and gives fodder to criminals.
If Sowore, or anyone else, has credible evidence to challenge the official numbers for NPF, let them publish a full audit: a head count, deployment roster, payroll vs. nominal-roll reconciliation, and verified field deployment data. Until then, his claim remains a lie, and no responsible citizen should give it airtime.
Truth matters more than sensationalism. If we must reform our police, we should do so with facts, not fiction.
Kelhinde Adewole writes from Abuja. email: kennyadewole@gmail.com X: kennyadewole
