Abuja, Nigeria — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new campus of the Nigeria Police Academy in Erinja, located in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, as part of efforts to strengthen police training and national security.
The President also approved a special take-off grant of ₦15 billion for the project. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the approval aligns with provisions of the Nigeria Police Academy (Establishment) Act, 2021, which mandates the expansion of the Police Academy system beyond its current base in Wudil to multiple campuses across the country.
The government said the ₦15 billion intervention fund will be sourced from the 2026 allocation of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund). The funding will be used to develop key infrastructure, including academic buildings, student accommodation, and essential training facilities.
The decision to site the new campus in Erinja followed recommendations from a high-level consultative meeting involving top government and education stakeholders. Participants at the meeting included the Minister of Police Affairs, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, officials from the Federal Ministry of Education, the Inspector-General of Police, and the leadership of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The meeting reportedly considered factors such as student intake capacity, available funding, academic quality standards, and the long-term manpower needs of the Nigeria Police Force, which is currently undergoing expansion.
The presidency stated that the new campus is expected to improve institutional governance and modernise police education in Nigeria. “President Tinubu believes the expansion will strengthen institutional governance, modern policing education, and national security,” the statement said.
The development comes nearly five months after the President declared a nationwide security emergency in response to rising incidents of attacks and abductions across the country. As part of that directive, Tinubu authorised increased recruitment into the police and military.
Under the plan, the Nigeria Police Force is expected to recruit an additional 20,000 officers to boost its operational capacity.
In a statement he personally signed in November 2025, Tinubu also approved the nationwide upgrade of police training facilities and authorised the use of camps belonging to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as temporary training depots.
The President further ordered the withdrawal of police personnel from VIP protection duties, directing that such officers undergo intensive retraining before being redeployed to areas facing security challenges.
The establishment of the new Police Academy campus is seen as part of broader reforms aimed at improving the effectiveness, professionalism, and responsiveness of Nigeria’s security forces amid ongoing threats to national stability.
