The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun has opposed the growing calls to allow Nigerians to bear arms as a solution to the worsening insecurity in the country.
Egbetokun warned that such approach would only escalate violence and deepen insecurity across the country.
The IGP stated this at the second Nigeria democracy week organised by the National Democracy Stakeholders Group (NDSG), in partnership with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, in Abuja.
Represented by the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), CP Ajao Adewale, Egbetokun insisted that widespread civilian access to firearms was not the solution to the country’s complex security challenges.
While insisting that violence cannot be used to solve violence, he said, “We need to learn from the countries that have allowed such. To what extent will this solve the problem? You cannot solve violence through violence. You solve violence by advocating for peace. Weapon is not the solution. Dialogue, tolerance, accommodating each other is the way forward.”
He further dismissed claims that the police assist in election rigging, describing such allegations as a figment of imagination, maintaining that the role of police during elections is strictly limited to providing security and ensuring peaceful conduct.
“We are not partisans. We are like umpires. The duty of police is limited and restricted to the profession of security during election year. As much as we remain on that, we can’t vote. People vote. INEC count. We monitor.
“And that is our situation and the way forward is that there has been a renewed synergy, inter-agency collaboration, involving even the state government, the INEC, the civil societies, including training and retraining of officers to ensure that they stay on their mandate,” he said.
For his part, SGF Akume said the reforms introduced by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration were laying the groundwork for long-term national stability and inclusive economic growth.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs in the Office of the SGF, Nadungu Gagare, Akume said mid-term reviews must serve as instruments of democratic accountability, not ceremonial events.
The SGF noted that Tinubu took office at a time of global economic volatility and domestic fiscal strain, yet within two years, the administration has embarked on bold structural reforms in key sectors.
“The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation is a nerve centre for cross-sectoral coordination. In the last two years, we have intensified efforts in synchronising policy of government and aligning them with national development priorities; facilitating partnerships with the National Assembly, civil society organisations, development partners, and subnational governments as well as support the design of frameworks that track and report progress on key performance indicators, including components of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Through these mechanisms, institutional collaboration is no longer a matter of convenience, it is now a national imperative. Permit me to state that governance, however, cannot thrive without democratic resilience.
“Democratic resilience refers to the capacity of our institutions, processes, and people to withstand internal and external shocks while upholding democratic values,” he said.
Chairman of NDSG, Dr. Kletsaint Akor, urged the Tinubu-led administration to treat the mid-term period not as a ceremonial checkpoint, but as a moment for deep accountability, inclusion, and urgent reforms.
“We must reimagine an electoral system where every vote counts, and every citizen trusts the process. Without electoral legitimacy, governance becomes performative rather than productive.
“Let us commit to institutionalising electoral reforms, including funding independence for INEC, transparent appointment of commissioners, and strict sanctions for malpractice”, Akor added.
