The Federal Government has unveiled plans to connect police stations across Nigeria to fibre broadband infrastructure and deploy artificial intelligence tools to modernise policing, following a new partnership between the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF).
The initiative, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Abuja, is designed to strengthen law enforcement capabilities through improved connectivity, data-driven systems, and digital tools. It is also positioned as part of broader efforts to align security infrastructure with Nigeria’s ongoing digital economy agenda.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said the project would prioritise connecting police facilities to the national fibre backbone while introducing AI-powered systems to enhance operational efficiency.
According to Tijani, the first phase of the programme will involve a nationwide mapping exercise of police stations to determine their proximity to existing fibre infrastructure and identify connectivity gaps.
“With this partnership, we will end up doing something that I really like, which is to map all the police stations in the country and be able to see how far they are from the point of presence of the fibre optic network,” he said.
He noted that the exercise would help the government maximise existing fibre investments while guiding future infrastructure expansion to underserved locations.
“Most of the time, these resources exist, but we don’t know that they exist. You may find a significant number of police stations are within reach of fibre-based connectivity,” Tijani added.
The minister disclosed that the Federal Government is already implementing a nationwide fibre rollout targeting approximately 90,000 kilometres of cable, with planned points of presence in more than 7,000 wards. Integrating police stations into this network, he said, would significantly improve communication, surveillance, and response capabilities across the force.
Beyond connectivity, the government is also working on a national data exchange system with support from the European Commission. The platform is expected to enable seamless data sharing among government agencies, with the Nigeria Police Force identified as a key beneficiary.
“We’ve gotten the support of the European Commission to design and develop a data exchange system that will allow government agencies to seamlessly exchange data,” Tijani said.
He emphasised that artificial intelligence would play a central role in the transformation, particularly in areas such as incident reporting, analytics, and digital evidence management.
“The bad people are using AI to do bad things. The good people are using this as well. I think our police should also be brought to a point where we can say they’re using it,” he stated.
Tijani further explained that AI tools could help improve the accuracy and transparency of police processes, including statement recording. He described a system where reports made at police stations could be captured in real time, transcribed, and verified before being formally documented.
“With artificial intelligence… you go to a police station, you want to give your report, you just pick the machine that captures what you say… and it can then play it back to you so that you actually hear what you said before you then sign,” he said.
He added that modernising the police through digital infrastructure and intelligent systems would have broader economic implications, including boosting investor confidence and strengthening public trust in security institutions.
“If we’re able to support enough and make sure that the police force is much more modern and well-resourced, it will help benefit from security… Businesses also trust more, and citizens also then have trust,” Tijani said.
Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, Mohammed Sheidu, described the agreement as a critical step towards building a technologically enabled police force. He noted that the collaboration reflects a long-standing need to integrate digital capabilities into policing.
“This is not just the signing of an MoU, but a long-awaited partnership… we are trying to modernise the Nigerian police force, and there’s no way possible for us to achieve this without your inputs,” he said.
Sheidu added that the initiative would support the transition to smart police stations and improve operational efficiency nationwide.
“We see that we’re trying to move towards smart police stations, and there’s no way we could achieve this without this partnership,” he stated.
The programme is anchored on the National Anchor Institutions Connectivity Programme and aligns with ongoing digital infrastructure efforts under Project BRIDGE. Both initiatives are aimed at expanding broadband access to critical public institutions and strengthening Nigeria’s national fibre backbone.
As part of the rollout, the government will develop a geospatial database of police stations, assess infrastructure gaps, and design last-mile connectivity solutions to link facilities to nearby fibre points. The initiative will also explore integrating police systems with the National Data Exchange Platform to enable secure information sharing, case management, and inter-agency collaboration.
Authorities are further expected to introduce AI-enabled policing tools, implement capacity-building programmes to equip personnel with digital skills, and establish a phased investment and governance framework to guide execution.
The move signals a shift towards technology-led policing in Nigeria, with the government betting on connectivity and artificial intelligence as key enablers of more efficient, transparent, and responsive law enforcement systems.
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