Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase has died at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja.
As of press time, neither his family nor the Nigeria Police Force had issued an official statement confirming the development.
Arase, who became Nigeria’s 18th Inspector-General of Police in April 2015, later served as Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC). Before his appointment as IGP, he headed the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, the intelligence arm of the force.
Born on June 21, 1956, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Arase studied Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, graduating in 1980. He joined the Nigeria Police Force on December 1, 1981. He went on to obtain a Law degree from the University of Benin and a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Lagos.
During his decades-long career, Arase held several key positions, including Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State and Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of intelligence. He also represented Nigeria in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Namibia and was a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Arase retired from the police service on June 21, 2016, after reaching the mandatory retirement age. In January 2023, former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him Chairman of the Police Service Commission. He remained in office until June 2024, when President Bola Tinubu removed him from the position.
The late police chief is remembered as one of the most prominent figures in Nigeria’s law enforcement history, with a career spanning over three decades of public service.