Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and one-time chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Solomon Arase, has passed away.
Arase reportedly died at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja, though details surrounding his death remain unclear as of press time. Neither his family nor the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has issued an official statement.
Arase, Nigeria’s 18th IGP, served between April 2015 and June 2016 before retiring from active service. He was later appointed chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) in January 2023 by then-President Muhammadu Buhari but was removed from the position in June 2024 by President Bola Tinubu.
Born on June 21, 1956, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Arase studied Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduating in 1980. He enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force on December 1, 1981, and went on to obtain a Law degree from the University of Benin as well as a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos.
Before his appointment as IGP, he headed the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, the Force’s top intelligence unit, and held key positions including Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State and Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Intelligence.
Arase also had an international stint, serving in Namibia under a United Nations peacekeeping mission. He was a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).
He retired from the Force on June 21, 2016, after attaining the mandatory retirement age.
