By Ejike Ejike and Christabel Ijeh

Copyright leadership

Worried by the incessant security challenges in the country, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has trained its senior officers on executive capacity building on tackling complex security issues.

The training, which held on Monday with the theme, ‘Managing fast-paced security challenges in a protracted conflict environment’, was organised by the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP).

Speaking at the event, the inspector-general of police, IGP Kayode Egbetukun, said: “The theme of this workshop – ‘Managing fast-paced security challenges in a protracted conflict environment’ could not have been more apt. It speaks directly to the paradox of our times; conflicts that stretch across years, yet change form and intensity daily. We face adversaries who are not only persistent but adaptive. Criminal syndicates exploit technology to expand their reach. Terrorist networks rebrand and reorganize to avoid defeat. Local conflicts, once contained, now spill across borders, amplified by social media and transnational alliances. This complexity demands more from us than courage alone. It demands foresight, creativity, and the agility to lead in an environment of constant flux.

“Our leadership must combine patience with speed, endurance with imagination, and strategy with unshakable resolve. That is why this theme has been carefully chosen, to prepare you, as leaders, to anticipate, to adapt, and to act decisively in an environment where hesitation is costly and speed is survival. To this end, this one-day training workshop has been thoughtfully designed to enrich your leadership journey.

“What we seek through this workshop is not just individual learning, but collective transformation. The Nigeria Police Force must grow into an institution that is agile in planning, bold in execution, and united in vision. Our success will not be measured by the brilliance of one commander or the courage of a few units, but by the strength of our collective capacity to anticipate threats, to respond as one body, and to deliver security that Nigerians can see and feel every day.

“This workshop, therefore, must not end as a series of lectures and notes. It must produce a shift in mindset, a recalibration of strategy, and a renewal of commitment. The lessons gained here must echo in our policies, reflect in our operations, and be felt in the daily lives of Nigerians who look to us for safety. Every insight must become an action, and every action must strengthen the chain of security that binds our nation together.”

Also speaking at the event, the president of SPSP, Nathaniel Msen Awuapila, said the executive capacity building programme was firmly aligned with the policing vision of IGP Egbetokun, which emphasises adherence to legal frameworks, proactive crime prevention, technological innovation in intelligence gathering, and robust inter-agency collaboration.

He further said, “This initiative resonates with Nigeria’s National Security Strategy, the Police Reform Agenda, and global peacebuilding frameworks. It reflects our shared commitment to institutional excellence, operational foresight, and principled governance. Through expert presentations, interactive sessions, case studies, and collaborative dialogue, we aim to equip our senior officers not only with tactical proficiency, but with the strategic insight necessary to lead with integrity and impact.”

Speaking further, Awuapila said the “SPSP remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing peace and security through research, advocacy, capacity building, and diligent professionalism. By supporting the top leadership of the NPF, we reaffirm our belief that effective policing is not solely about enforcement-it is about foresight, collaboration, and the courage to lead with purpose.

“It is scarcely a year since we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NPF. Within this period, you mandated SPSP to train all cadres of the Force. Thus far, we have trained members of the intermediate cadre-specifically Chief Superintendents of Police-and today. we are privileged to engage with the top echelon of the Nigeria Police Force. Furthermore, during this period, approximately one hundred officers have joined SPSP and have been formally inducted as members. We deeply appreciate this demonstration of trust and confidence. In recognition of this, today’s training is offered as a pro bono capacity-building programme.”