LocationsBy Tolu Oresanya, Leanne McKay, and Adewale Ajadi
Rebuilding trust for peace and stability through a transformative approach to police training in Nigeria
May 26, 2025
Damilola Ajila, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) standing in front of the Police Training College, Ikeja, Lagos
UNDP Nigeria/Tolu Oresanya
The relationship between the Nigeria Police Force and communities is crucial for ensuring the rights, safety and security of all people across Nigeria. In response to public demand for a more professional and accountable service, the Police Act 2020 signaled the government’s commitment to strengthen policing to uphold rights, address community needs, and restore public trust. Yet, a recent Afrobarometer survey found that only 15% of Nigerians express trust in the police highlighting the urgent need to translate reforms into visible change.
Transforming the police from a force to a service requires more than legislation; it demands practical shifts in how police personnel understand their role and engage with communities. For the Nigeria Police Force and UNDP, a key driver of this transformation is ensuring that police training equips all personnel to protect and serve the public with professionalism and respect.
The Nigeria Police Force’s Department of Training and Development, UNDP and the GS-Foundation have trained over 1000 trainers across 20 police training institutions
UNDP Nigeria/Tolu Oresanya
Since 2022, UNDP and the GS-Foundation have supported the Nigeria Police Force to strengthen its capacities to deliver modern, professional training to new recruits and personnel. Historically, police training has been under-resourced, undervalued, and shaped by a militarized approach that has led to sometimes violent confrontations and diminished public trust.
To support the transformation of the Nigeria Police Force UNDP has adopted a comprehensive approach to strengthening police training systems. This approach invests in training personnel and infrastructure, revising curricula to promote human rights, gender equality, ethical conduct and community engagement, and mobilizing government support for a well-resourced training system aligned with the Police Act 2020.
In partnership with the Nigeria Police Force’s Department of Training and Development, UNDP and the GS-Foundation have trained over 1000 trainers across 20 police training institutions in learner-centred methods that foster critical-thinking and problem-solving skills necessary for modern-day policing. These ‘training champions’ are now driving efforts to modernize police training and deliver people-centred policing envisioned in the Police Act.
This is the story of one trainer and trainee and the transformative effect of this approach in practice.
The Police Trainer, Damilola Ajila, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in the Documentation Department of the Police Training College in Ikeja, the capital city of Lagos State, has served for 24 years, including eight as a police trainer. “I am passionate about training exercises. It gives me joy when I see my trainees doing exactly what they were taught during the training exercise,” he says.
Damilola Ajila, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP)
UNDP Nigeria/Tolu Oresanya
In June 2022, ASP Ajila joined 59 other trainers for the Basic Trainer Training at the National Institute of Police Studies in Abuja. Delivered by a multi-disciplinary team of facilitators from UNDP and GS-Foundation, the course introduced adult learning and facilitation techniques that moved beyond traditional lectures and drills. The facilitators emphasized hands-on exercises and the importance of building mutual respect and collaboration between trainers and trainees to create more effective, trust-based learning environments.
Equipped with new tools and a fresh perspective, he returned to his college determined to apply what he had learned. Unlike other courses, this training reinvigorated his passion for teaching by introducing him to practical, learner-focused methods. He quickly transformed his classroom into a collaborative learning space where recruits could share insights, ask questions and work through real-life policing scenarios that helped build essential critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Police Constable (PC) Charity Fawehinmi
UNDP Nigeria/Tolu Oresanya
Police Constable (PC) Charity Fawehinmi joined the Nigeria Police Force as a recruit in 2022. A keen community volunteer in high school, she was inspired to become a police officer after meeting a basketball teammate. “To me, he [the teammate] was doing something [basketball] he loved so much and at the same time he still was contributing to keeping our community safe. This was my first encounter with someone who was in the Force. … [it] fueled that passion to join the Force since it gives me an opportunity to help people around me, and to save lives as well,” she said.
The power of training to transform attitudes and behaviour
For ASP Ajila, the training approach introduced by the UNDP/GS-Foundation team was eye opening. Instead of focusing on the trainer’s expertise, the learner-focused approach emphasized the trainees’ ability to absorb, understand, and apply what they learned. "… [I]f the trainees do not understand what they are taught, then they cannot practice what they were taught … and if this does not happen [it’s as if] the training hasn't taken place," he commented.
Back in his classroom, ASP Ajila shifted his approach from simply delivering information to focusing on ensuring his trainees fully grasped and applied it. He realised that to help young adults build the positive mindset to be effective police officers, he needed to support, coach and mentor them.
ASP Ajila (second left) with some of his trainees
UNDP Nigeria/Tolu Oresanya
PC Fawehinmi was one of his trainees. For her, his training approach was unlike anything she had experienced. ASP Ajila built strong relationships with his trainees and used interactive methods that made the classes memorable and applicable in their everyday policing work. "The training sessions opened my eyes to the fact that as a police officer my job is to provide security as a service to Nigerians," she said.
Looking beyond the classroom to reform police training
Empowered and inspired, ASP Ajila presented a memo to senior management outlining lessons from the training, emphasizing the college’s strengths while highlighting opportunities to enhance training effectiveness. For him, this meant going beyond the course content to investing in the professional growth and well-being of the trainers, and ensuring the trainees have a learning environment that fosters professional excellence.
Assessments by the Department of Training and Development, UNDP and GS-Foundation in Maiduguri, Kaduna, Lagos, Ilorin, Jos and Enugu revealed urgent gaps in infrastructure and equipment needed for delivering high-quality, professional police training. UNDP and GS-Foundation worked with the Police to modernize classrooms and provide essential training equipment and office furniture in four police colleges, and to disseminate training manuals and curricula across police training institutions to help standardize recruit training nationwide.
This acknowledgement of their crucial role in the operational effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force fostered a sense of pride and strengthened the commitment of trainers to deliver quality training. Sustaining and expanding this support is essential for attracting and retaining high-calibre trainers who can positively shape how recruits and other personnel carry out their duties. For ASP Ajila, continued professional development is key to maintaining this momentum for change.
Before the renovation of the Hall at the Central Planning and Training Unit (CPTU), Jos, Plateau State.
Hall after renovation
To ensure the new training methods are embedded and sustained, UNDP and the Department of Training and Development secured support from senior police leadership. Commandants of the Police Colleges and Training Schools attended retreats to be familiarized with the new approach and curriculum. Their buy-in and advocacy for increased investment in police training is critical for institutionalizing and sustaining an approach that prioritizes professionalism, accountability, and community engagement
Building trust through effective community engagement
ASP Ajila reflected, "The training provided us with tools to engage with community members respectfully and empathetically. This is crucial for rebuilding the trust that has been lost over the years." His reflection speaks to the core principles of the Police Act 2020 and the foundation of a accountable, effective and trusted Nigeria Police Force.
For PC Fawehinmi, the training delivered by ASP Ajila directly impacted how she engages the public today. She learned the importance of understanding community dynamics and collaborating with local leaders and residents. "The training has enhanced my interpersonal relationship with civilians and has shaped the way I discharge my daily duties," she commented.
The partnership between UNDP, the GS-Foundation and the Nigeria Police Force has demonstrated the transformative power of training in shaping attitudes and behaviours essential for professional, service-oriented and accountable policing. For ASP Ajila and PC Fawehinmi, the impact was profound and has directly influenced how they carry out their daily duties.
About the project
Since December 2021, UNDP, with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office, has provided strategic, technical and operational support to the Nigeria Police Force. The Supporting Police Accountability and Transformation (SPAAT) project (1 June 2024 to 31 December 2025) is the third phase of UNDP’s police reform initiative, implemented with the GS-Foundation. SPAAT supports the Government of Nigeria’s goal of building an effective, trustworthy, accountable and professional police service that is trusted by and responsive to the needs of people, including women and other vulnerable and marginalised groups, in accordance with human rights standards and the rule of law.
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