Nigeria Police In Mourning: Ex-Inspector General Solomon Arase Is Dead

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has been plunged into mourning following the death of its former Inspector-General of Police and immediate past Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Solomon Ehigiator Arase.

Arase reportedly passed away in the early hours of Sunday, August 31, 2025, at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja after a brief illness.

Confirming the development in a statement issued from Force Headquarters, Abuja, the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed that the current Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, received the sad news from Arase’s first son, Mr. Solomon Osabohien Arase.

“The Nigeria Police Force is deeply saddened by the passing of the 18th indigenous Inspector-General of Police of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, IGP Solomon Ehigiator Arase (Rtd.), who served the nation with pride and honour,” Adejobi stated.

Born on June 21, 1956, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Arase obtained a first degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, before earning a Law degree from the University of Benin, a Master’s in Law from the University of Lagos, and a Ph.D. in Public Law from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

He joined the Nigeria Police Force on December 1, 1981, and steadily rose through the ranks. His distinguished career included serving as Principal Staff Officer to three IGPs between 2002 and 2008, Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, pioneer AIG of the Force Intelligence Bureau, and DIG in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department.

Appointed as the 18th indigenous IGP in April 2015, Arase served until his retirement in June 2016. In January 2023, he was appointed Chairman of the Police Service Commission by then-President Muhammadu Buhari, a position he held until June 2024.

A Fellow of the National Defence College and a member of the prestigious Body of Benchers, Arase was widely regarded as a reformist police chief. During his tenure as IGP, he established the Complaint Response Unit (CRU), aimed at protecting citizens’ rights and addressing public grievances swiftly.

Beyond policing, he founded the Solomon Ehigiator Arase Foundation (SEAF), which provided scholarships for indigent students and children of fallen police officers.

Paying tribute during a condolence visit to the family in Abuja, IGP Egbetokun described him as “a man of service whose memory will remain etched in the heart of the Force and the nation he faithfully served.”

On behalf of the Force, Egbetokun extended condolences to Arase’s family, friends, and colleagues, acknowledging the immense void his passing has created.

The death of Solomon Arase, remembered by many as a reform-driven and people-oriented leader, marks the close of a remarkable chapter in Nigeria’s policing history.