“How Long Can Police Survive Like This?” — NIDDEMOG Blasts Poor Welfare, Dilapidated Barracks, Demands Police Reform
By Passman Akpos
YENAGOA, BAYELSA — The Niger Delta Development and Monitoring Group (NIDDEMOG) has called for urgent reforms in the Nigeria Police Force, including improved funding, better welfare packages, allowances and decent accommodation for police personnel.
The group said strengthening the welfare and working conditions of police officers would improve their effectiveness in confronting Nigeria’s growing security challenges, particularly in difficult riverine and coastal communities across the Niger Delta.
Executive Director of NIDDEMOG, Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, OON, made the call in a statement issued on August 28, 2026, while commending personnel of the Bayelsa State Police Command for their commitment to duty.
Chief Nengi James, who is also a member of the oversight Board of the Violence Crimes Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, said the condition of some police barracks across the country remained unacceptable.
He stressed that officers who risk their lives to protect citizens deserved decent accommodation and functional facilities, warning that prolonged neglect of police formations could undermine effective policing.
According to him, improved investment in the police must go beyond operational equipment to include personnel welfare, housing, allowances and a pension system that adequately reflects the risks associated with police service.
The NIDDEMOG chief also backed calls for the Nigeria Police Force to exit the Contributory Pension Scheme and adopt a more suitable arrangement, such as the Defined Benefits Scheme.
Police Rescue Kidnap Victim After 30 Days in Creek Hideout
Chief Nengi James particularly praised personnel of the Violence Crimes Response Unit for their role in the successful rescue of a kidnap victim who had reportedly spent about 30 days in a remote coastal area of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.
He said the operation highlighted the complex security challenges faced by law enforcement agencies operating in the creeks, mangrove forests and other difficult terrains of the Niger Delta.
“I am a board member of the Violence Crimes Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, an oversight body inaugurated under the directive of the IGP.
“The unit has successfully and professionally handled one of the kidnapping and abduction cases in a remote, deep forest in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area,” he said.
The group said the successful operation further demonstrated the need for specialised policing structures capable of operating effectively in the region’s challenging terrain.
NIDDEMOG Wants Mangrove Forest Guards
Chief Nengi James renewed his call for the establishment of dedicated mangrove swamp forest guards to complement existing security agencies in securing the Niger Delta’s waterways and forest corridors.
He alleged that some criminal elements had established camps and hideouts deep inside the mangrove forests, using the difficult terrain to carry out criminal activities.
He identified kidnapping for ransom, sea piracy and pipeline vandalism among the crimes allegedly facilitated by such hideouts.
“Some criminally minded people are building homes and camps and using them as criminal hideouts in the deep mangrove forests, from where they perpetrate crimes such as pipeline vandalisation, sea piracy and kidnapping for ransom,” he said.
“Therefore, there is a need for a security framework to police the mangrove swamp forests in the Niger Delta.”
Call for More Surveillance in Niger Delta Creeks
NIDDEMOG urged the National Security Adviser and other security agencies to intensify surveillance and intelligence gathering across the creeks, waterways and mangrove forests of the Niger Delta.
The group maintained that conventional policing alone may not be sufficient to address security threats in remote riverine communities where difficult terrain can limit access and response times.
It called for sustained investment in specialised personnel, equipment, intelligence gathering and welfare packages for security personnel deployed to the region.
Chief Nengi James said a comprehensive security strategy for the Niger Delta must recognise the unique geographical challenges of the region and provide security agencies with the resources and structures required to operate effectively.
He added that better welfare for police personnel, combined with specialised security structures for the creeks and mangrove forests, would strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies to tackle kidnapping, piracy, pipeline vandalism and other criminal activities.
