Former IGP Solomon Arase Dies At 69

Nigeria has lost one of its most distinguished policemen. Solomon Ehigiator Arase, the country’s 18th Inspector-General of Police, passed away at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja. He was 69.

At the time of going to press, neither his family nor the Nigeria Police Force had issued an official statement. Yet news of his passing has stirred tributes across security circles, where he was widely respected as a thoroughbred officer and reform-minded leader.

Born on June 21, 1956, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Arase’s journey into national service began with a degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1980. He enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force the following year, on December 1, 1981, and quickly distinguished himself as a strategist. He later added a Law degree from the University of Benin and a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Lagos to his credentials.

Arase rose through the ranks, commanding the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau—the Police’s elite intelligence arm—before his appointment as Inspector-General in April 2015. His tenure, though brief, was marked by an emphasis on intelligence-led policing and professionalism. He also served as Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom, Assistant Inspector-General in charge of intelligence, and was a United Nations peacekeeper in Namibia.

After retiring from the Force on June 21, 2016, he remained active in public service. In January 2023, former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), a role he held until June 2024, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reconstituted the commission.

A Fellow of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Arase was known not just for his decorated career but also for his quiet intellect and commitment to institutional reform. His passing closes the chapter on a career deeply interwoven with Nigeria’s security evolution.