By Undu Joseph

Copyright independent

Undu Joseph

The Inspector General of Police IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, on Monday charged top Police leadership to sharpen their instincts, renew their vision, and reaffirm their oath to serve with courage, honour, and distinction.

Egbetokun stated this while declaring open a one day Executive Capacity Building Workshop, organized by the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP) in partnership with the Nigeria Police Force.

The event which took place at the Police Resource Center, Jabi, Abuja had the theme; “Managing Fast-Paced Security Challenges in a Protracted Conflict Environment.”

The IGP commended the organizers for “bridging scholarship and policing practice,” adding that “they have provided us with a platform not only to reflect but also to renew, and more importantly, to sharpen our leadership capacity for the complex challenges ahead.”

He said, “I welcome you again with deep conviction that this engagement will leave us better prepared, better united, and better positioned to confront the fast-paced challenges of policing in a protracted conflict environment.

“Let us seize this opportunity to sharpen our instincts, renew our vision, and reaffirm our oath to serve with courage, honour, and distinction.

“I charge you not merely to attend this workshop, but to be transformed by it. Let every lesson you gain here become a weapon in your armoury, every idea, a strategy for tomorrow, and every decision you take henceforth a testament of the leader you have chosen to become.

“On this note and as I look forward to a productive engagement, I hereby declare this workshop open.”

Earlier, the IGP said the theme of the workshop could not have been more apt. In his words, “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,” he stated.

The President of SPSP, Mr. Nathaniel Msen Awuapila in his opening address said, their collaboration with the NPF is rooted in profound respect for its role as the lead agency for internal security in our country.

He also emphasized that SPSP does not take this “partnership” for granted. Rather, “We regard it as a solemn opportunity to support the Force’s transformation and to stand in solidarity with its leadership-particularly under the stewardship of IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, fspsp, a distinguished Fellow of our Society and a leader whose vision for policing aligns seamlessly with our core values.”

The president also reiterated SPSP’s commitment to advancing peace and security through research, advocacy, capacity building, and diligent professionalism.

He said, “We reaffirm our belief that effective policing is not solely about enforcement-it is about foresight, collaboration, and the courage to lead with purpose.”