Nigeria Needs 3,000 New Police Stations, 1,000 Prisons — IGP Warns
Nigeria’s growing insecurity has exposed a major infrastructure deficit within the country’s policing and correctional systems, with the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, warning that the nation urgently needs 3,000 new police stations and 1,000 additional prisons to improve security operations.
The police chief said the current security infrastructure is inadequate for a country with a population exceeding 200 million people, revealing that the Nigeria Police Force presently operates only about 2,000 police stations nationwide.
Disu made the disclosure on Thursday during Infrastructure Dialogue 2026 held in Abuja, where he called for urgent investment through public-private partnerships, development finance institutions and capital market funding to address the widening security infrastructure gap.
Represented at the event by the Commissioner of Police in charge of Works, Obiora Oranwusi, the IGP said the scale of the deficit requires immediate intervention.
According to him, findings by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission identified the need for thousands of additional security facilities across the country.
“The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission has identified the need for 3,000 new police stations, 1,000 new prisons and 170 new barracks,” he said.
He explained that the shortage of police facilities continues to affect operational effectiveness and public safety nationwide.
Disu also highlighted several challenges facing the police force, including outdated communication systems, inadequate surveillance infrastructure, shortage of patrol vehicles, poor ICT systems, limited forensic laboratories, deteriorating police barracks and insufficient protective equipment.
According to him, insecurity remains a major threat to economic growth and investor confidence, particularly when criminal activities target critical national infrastructure.
“Our nation continues to face threats such as vandalism, sabotage, extortion and disruptions by organised criminal groups,” he stated.
He pointed to recent arrests of vandals on the Third Mainland Bridge through CCTV surveillance as evidence of the growing need for technology-driven policing.
Also speaking at the event, Abdullahi Sule acknowledged the serious infrastructure challenges confronting the police and linked the country’s broader infrastructure deficit to declining investor confidence.
The governor noted that infrastructure discussions often focus mainly on roads, bridges and power while overlooking security facilities that are equally essential for national development.
The disclosure by the police leadership has once again drawn attention to the deepening security challenges facing Nigeria amid rising incidents of banditry, kidnapping, vandalism and attacks on critical assets across the country.
Analysts say the shortage of police stations, prisons, barracks and operational equipment has weakened law enforcement response, especially in rural and underserved communities.
With the police now openly admitting the scale of the deficit, attention is expected to shift toward how the Federal Government plans to mobilise the huge financial resources needed to strengthen Nigeria’s security infrastructure.
