…Says Knowledge, Morality, and Partnership Are Nigeria’s Strongest Weapons Against Insecurity
The Inspector-General of Police, Dr Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has called for a renewed partnership between Nigeria’s academic institutions and security agencies, describing the “Town–Gown Partnership” as essential to securing the nation through knowledge, morality, and community synergy.
Egbetokun made the call while delivering a keynote address titled “Securing Nigeria Through the Town–Gown Partnership” at the Strategic Conference on Security and Development held at the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Oto-Ijanikin, on Thursday.
The conference, themed “When Minds Awaken, Nations Are Secured,” brought together university scholars, traditional rulers, religious leaders, security personnel, entrepreneurs, and students to discuss how education, morality, and collaboration can strengthen national peace and security.
Speaking passionately, the Police Chief said Nigeria’s greatest defence is not its army but its people, “educated, disciplined, and united by the rule of law.” He urged universities to see themselves not only as centres of learning but as “refineries of national conscience,” emphasising that the moral and intellectual awakening of citizens remains key to sustainable peace.
“Safety is not merely the absence of crime; it is the presence of justice, knowledge, and trust,” Egbetokun declared. “When the teacher and the officer walk together, crime loses shelter. When ideas and enforcement work together, peace begins to take shape.”
Redefining the Town–Gown Model
Egbetokun explained that the Town–Gown Partnership should evolve into a “national doctrine of collaboration” involving all sectors, from government and academia to business, media, and religious institutions.
He described the “town” as the heartbeat of daily life, markets, media, palaces, churches, mosques, and communities, while the “gown” represents knowledge hubs that generate ideas and policies for national growth.
“When these two realms merge, the practical wisdom of the town and the intellectual capital of the gown, a nation moves from reaction to prediction, from survival to innovation, from suspicion to synergy,” he said.
He urged stronger partnerships between security agencies and research institutions to develop data-driven crime prevention models, youth behavioural studies, and evidence-based community policing strategies.
The Moral Foundation of Security
The IGP stressed that no security system can thrive without a strong moral foundation. “Our laws may punish crime, but only morality prevents it,” he said, adding that classrooms and pulpits remain the “first police stations of the mind.”
Egbetokun warned that moral decay breeds corruption and violence, calling for renewed civic education and ethical teaching across schools, homes, and places of worship.
He reiterated the Police Force’s commitment to professionalism and human rights, describing police officers as “teachers in uniform, moral examples of the justice they enforce.”
Adapting to Emerging Security Challenges
Highlighting the fast-evolving nature of insecurity, Egbetokun noted that modern threats are “faster, smarter, and harder to detect.”
“We now battle crimes that move as swiftly as data, and criminals who hide not only in forests but behind firewalls,” he said.
He listed insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, cybercrime, and online misinformation as key challenges confronting the Force. To respond effectively, he said, the Police are transitioning into a “proactive, intelligence-led, technology-driven, and community-focused” service, expanding cybercrime units, modernising forensic labs, deploying drones, and investing in data analytics and capacity building.
Misinformation as a National Security Threat
Egbetokun also warned that misinformation has become one of the gravest dangers to national stability. “A single false post can cause chaos faster than a bullet can travel,” he cautioned, noting that false narratives often undermine police efforts and erode public trust.
He urged Nigerians to treat misinformation as a security threat to be countered with civic education, digital literacy, and transparency, not censorship.
“Security is not enforced; it is co-created,” he said. “When citizens begin to doubt those who secure them, the fabric of collective safety begins to tear apart.”
Forging Knowledge–Community Synergy
To make the Town–Gown Partnership tangible, Egbetokun proposed five strategic pillars:
- Data-Driven Policing to predict and prevent crimes.
- Youth Behavioural Studies to address cultism and extremism.
- Cybersecurity and Digital Ethics Education to promote responsible technology use.
- Community Conflict Management to strengthen trust and restorative justice.
- Public Trust Evaluation through independent academic research.
He encouraged universities to work directly with divisional police officers on research and innovation, turning the Force into a living laboratory for applied learning.
A Call for National Renewal
Concluding his address, the Inspector-General called for a new national mindset rooted in knowledge, unity, and empathy.
“Nations are not secured by walls or weapons; they are secured by wisdom,” he said. “When knowledge stands guard, ignorance retreats. When communities unite, criminals scatter. And when truth takes the microphone, falsehood loses its audience.”
Egbetokun urged Nigerians, from scholars to officers, from clerics to entrepreneurs, to “rise together” and build a nation “where the pen and the uniform no longer stand apart, but side by side, defending one flag, one faith, one future.”
The event was attended by senior police officers, academics, traditional rulers, students, and representatives of civil society, who commended the Inspector-General for promoting security through education and moral reawakening.
