Sowore demands ₦500,000 minimum salary for police, says poor pay fuels Nigeria’s deepening insecurity crisis.
He urges full police reform, arguing military spending can’t replace strategic internal security investments nationwide.
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has called for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s policing structure, stating emphatically that no police officer in the country should earn less than ₦500,000 monthly.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, Sowore argued that the low wages and poor welfare of police officers have directly contributed to Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.
“Our position is that no policeman should be paid less than ₦500,000 per month,” he said. “Before asking if it’s sustainable, ask yourself the cost of insecurity. We’re spending billions fighting Boko Haram in just one state.”
Sowore criticized the persistent underfunding of the Nigeria Police Force, which he believes has crippled its capacity to provide adequate internal security. This, he argued, has led to the over-reliance on the military for domestic operations, thus militarizing civil issues.
He described such dependency as unsustainable and inefficient, urging a shift in focus from expensive military hardware to strategic internal security investments.
“Do you know how much an Apache helicopter costs? That money could transform police welfare and operations nationwide. Instead, we’re using it to bomb our communities.”
According to Sowore, investing in internal security will lead to substantial improvements in national safety and stability. He claimed that such investment could reduce terrorism by 70%, kidnapping by 80%, and cut overall crime to near zero.
“You cannot leave the police in this condition and expect them to protect you. It’s not a matter of affordability, it’s a matter of national survival,” he added.
Sowore clarified that his proposal was not merely about improving police salaries, but about restructuring Nigeria’s entire security framework to make policing more effective, accountable, and professional.
While the ₦500,000 monthly salary proposal has sparked intense debate online, with critics questioning its affordability amid Nigeria’s budgetary constraints, Sowore maintains that the cost of inaction far outweighs the cost of reform.
“You sustain insecurity when you fail to sustain those who are meant to protect you,” he stated. “This is not about throwing money around, it’s about making the right investment at the right level.”
He called on the government to reallocate security budgets and prioritise policing as a strategic national investment rather than a financial burden.
“Policing brings real value to communities. That’s why our system is broken, we’re not making the right investments.”
