Former Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase is dead

Abdullateef Fowewe

Solomon Ehigiator Arase, who was Nigeria’s 18th Inspector-General of Police, passed away at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja.

After his term as IGP, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Police Service Commission.

Before becoming IGP, he led the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, the police’s premier intelligence agency.

Born on June 21, 1956, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Arase obtained a degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University in 1980 and joined the Nigeria Police Force on December 1, 1981. He later completed a Law degree from the University of Benin and earned a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos.

Throughout his esteemed career, he held numerous key positions, including Principal Staff Officer to previous IGPs, Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, and Assistant Inspector-General of Police responsible for intelligence.

He also represented Nigeria in Namibia under a United Nations peacekeeping mission and was a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Arase retired from the Force on June 21, 2016, upon reaching the statutory retirement age. In January 2023, he was appointed Chairman of the Police Service Commission by then-President Muhammadu Buhari, a position he held until June 2024.