The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, revealed that addressing the shortage of patrol vehicles at the 1,537 divisional police headquarters in Nigeria requires a budget of N245 billion. He made this known during his appearance before the House of Representatives, where he highlighted the challenges hampering the effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force, citing poor funding and inadequate manpower as major concerns.

Egbetokun emphasized the harsh operating environment faced by the police, underscoring the grossly insufficient manpower, which falls short of the United Nations’ recommended ratio. While the UN ratio stands at 1 officer to 400 citizens, Nigeria currently operates at a ratio of 1 officer to 1,000 citizens, signifying the urgent need to double the current manpower.

Highlighting the dire need for operational vehicles, Egbetokun pointed out the scarcity of patrol vehicles at the 1,537 police divisional headquarters across the 774 local government areas. He stressed that each division urgently requires a minimum of four functional patrol vehicles, noting that some divisions currently lack any patrol vehicles.

The scale of the challenge is evident, with an estimated requirement of about 6,148 vehicles to adequately equip all 1,537 police divisional headquarters with the necessary four patrol vehicles.