The federal government will map and digitally connect every police station in Nigeria to the national fibre optic network in a transformative technology partnership between the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the Police Trust Fund, aimed at modernising law enforcement infrastructure and dramatically improving the quality and speed of police service delivery across the country.
Minister of Communications Bosun Tijani disclosed details of the initiative after signing a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Police Trust Fund in Abuja, describing the partnership as a foundational step toward building smart, technology-enabled police stations nationwide.
The minister said the initial phase would involve comprehensive Geographic Information System mapping of all police stations, establishing precisely which stations were already within reach of the existing Galaxy Backbone fibre network the government had deployed across the country. He noted that a significant number of stations might already be close to existing fibre points of presence without either party being aware, making the mapping exercise essential before any connectivity decisions were made.
“For me, that is special because most of the time these resources exist but we do not know they exist. You may find a significant number of police stations already within reach of a fibre-based connectivity point. We first need to start with that and get it right,” he said.
The minister disclosed that Galaxy Backbone’s fibre network had been designed to reach every ward in Nigeria, covering over 7,000 locations, and that the mapping exercise would inform the final network design to align points of presence more closely with police station locations.
Beyond connectivity, the partnership envisaged a fully digitized police reporting and documentation system that would allow citizens to speak their reports in any language, have statements transcribed automatically by artificial intelligence, and verify accuracy before signing, eliminating the need for interpreters and reducing the scope for transcription errors.
“We see a future where you go to a police station, you want to give your report, you just speak to a machine that captures what you are saying and transcribes it into a statement. It can then play it back so you actually hear what you said before you sign,” Tijani said.
The project would be funded with support from the World Bank and the European Union, and implemented in phases over approximately 12 months, with the GIS mapping phase being the most technically complex element.
Police Trust Fund Executive Secretary Mohamed Sheidu described the partnership as long awaited and transformative, saying it would make smart police stations a realistic prospect for Nigeria rather than a distant aspiration.
