Breaking: Former Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase Dies in Abuja

Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Ehigiator Arase

Abuja, Nigeria — August 31, 2025
Nigeria is mourning the sudden passing of former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Ehigiator Arase, who died on Sunday at Cedarcrest Hospital, Abuja, according to multiple reports. He was 69.

Although an official statement from his family or the Nigeria Police Force has not yet been issued, news of his death has triggered an outpouring of shock and grief across the nation and beyond.

A Distinguished Career of Service

Arase, who hailed from Edo State, served as the 18th Inspector-General of Police between April 2015 and June 2016, during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and later President Muhammadu Buhari.

A seasoned officer with a reputation for intelligence and discipline, Arase once headed the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau (CIIB), the elite intelligence unit of the Nigeria Police Force. He also served as Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Intelligence, and participated in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Namibia.

Post-retirement, Arase was appointed Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) in January 2023, a position he held until his removal in June 2024.

Education and Legacy

A scholar as well as a law enforcement officer, Arase held degrees in Political Science (Ahmadu Bello University, 1980), Law (University of Benin), and a Master’s in Law from the University of Lagos. He was also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Throughout his career, he was widely respected for advocating police reforms, intelligence-driven policing, and professionalism in Nigeria’s security sector.

National Mourning

News of his passing has been met with tributes from colleagues, security experts, and citizens who recall his efforts to modernize policing. For many, Arase represented a blend of scholarship, discipline, and service at a time when Nigeria’s security challenges were mounting.

As Nigeria reflects on the life and times of Solomon Arase, his legacy will remain etched in the nation’s policing history—as a leader who combined intellect with duty, leaving behind a footprint of service to the country.