Nigeria Police Ranks, Badges, and Salary Structure
Have you ever wondered about the ranking system of the Nigerian Police Force and how they are awarded their badges or how much they earn? This article provides you with the Nigeria Police Ranks, Badges, and Salary Structure. if you are eager to know the entire process and qualities that go into making one a part of the Nigeria Police Force? We have the answer to those your questions and more in this article, stay with us.
Every day we see different police officers on the road sometimes with different colors of uniforms, different ranks, and numbers of identification on their shirts with little to no idea of what they mean and how we could use them to identify these officers later on, well today we have taken our time to do comprehensive research on the Nigeria Police Force and how exactly they are ranked and awarded badges and how to identify them.
Nigerian Police Ranks
We will be reviewing these ranks in Ascending order
Police Constable – This is the lowest rank on the police hierarchy in Nigeria
They are to uphold and enforce the laws of the state. They patrol areas within a jurisdiction to ensure safety and also respond to distress calls.
They pick up crime suspects and transport them
They gather evidence and login information or complaints
They interview suspects, victims, and witnesses
They testify in court
They deliver warrants for arrests, house searches, or any other complaint.
Corporals – They are considered supervisors, their duties include
Overlooking or supervising a particular unit formed for a particular purpose.
They oversee administrative functions within a station.
They also act as assistants to sergeants and fill in their roles when they are unavailable.
The roles are usually given to those who perform or exhibit leadership roles amongst their equals.
Sergeant – The sergeants are made to oversee an entire department not just a unit like the corporals
They train the officers in their department and provide daily encouragements for them as well.
They mainly oversee operations and are rarely seen in the field but once in a while, they are called in for backup on the field or for further supervision of their teams.
They are actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the station and nothing happens in the police station without their knowledge.
Sergeant Major – They assist with the administrative duties of a regiment.
Inspector of Police – the inspector oversees a team of sergeants and corporals, they look out for any discrepancies of any kind.
They are responsible for assigning these sergeants and constables to the units and departments they oversee.
Assistant Superintendent of Police – They assist the deputy superintendent of police.
Deputy Superintendent of Police – They assist the Superintendent of police, they also stand in for them when they are unavailable.
Superintendent of Police – They assist the Chief Superintendent of police.
Chief Superintendent of Police – They are in charge of a particular department of a police department in a state. They could be in charge of a particular unit that is available in all police stations of a state.
Assistant Commissioner of Police – They usually stand in place of the deputy commissioner and Commissioner of police when they are both absent.
Deputy Commissioner of Police – They assist the Commissioner of Police and perform other duties that be required of them.
Commissioner of Police – They head the state command in the state. They are in charge of the police force of a particular state and they oversee all the activities of the officers in that state.
Assistant Inspector General of Police – They assist the deputy inspector general of police in their duties and also heads a zone of the police force of the country.
Deputy Inspector General of Police – They stand in for the Inspector General of Police whenever they are not around.
They head the seven administrative departments of the force.
The number of Deputies is determined by the Inspector General of Police who decides how many deputies are required to carry out a task in the state.
Inspector-General of Police – this is the head of the police force of the country and the most senior officer in the force
The Inspector-General of Police is at the hem of affairs of all policing affairs of the country.
The Inspector-General of Police creates a series of commands that trickles down to the least officer in the police force through the various heads of departments.
Now that we’ve seen how the police force in Nigeria is ranked for the next stop we will look at their insignia and badges for easy identification at first glance.
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Nigerian Police Insignia/Badges
These are some of the badges of the Nigerian police force at your disposal for easy identification at your next interaction.

Nigerian Police Ranks and Salary structure
The salaries to be displayed will be done on an annual accumulation on the most recent payroll;
INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE – approx. 8.5 million naira yearly
DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE – approx. 6.5 million naira yearly
ASSISTANT INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE – approx. 5.9 million naira yearly
COMMISSIONER OF POLICE – approx. 3.6 million naira yearly
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF POLICE – approx. 3 million naira yearly
ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE – approx. 2.5 million naira yearly
CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE – approx. 2 million naira yearly
SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE – approx. 2 million naira yearly
DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE – approx. 2 million naira yearly
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE – approx. 1.8 million naira yearly
INSPECTOR OF POLICE – approx. 1 million naira yearly
SERGEANT MAJOR – approx. 700,000 naira yearly
SERGEANT – approx. 600,000 naira yearly
CORPORAL – approx. 500,000 naira yearly
CONSTABLE – approx. 500,000 naira yearly
NEW RECRUITS – approx. 100,000 naira yearly
We have come to the end of this article and we hope you are now abreast of the different positions in the NIGERIA POLICE FORCE, their ranks, and insignia/badges.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the Nigerian Police salary structure in 2021?
As stated above in the article the salaries range from approximately 8.5 million naira yearly to 100,000 naira yearly and are clearly stated according to their ranks from the Inspector General of Police to the new recruit.
What is the rank of a BSC holder in the Nigerian Police Force?
They usually start at the position of cadet assistant superintendent of police with a monthly starting salary of 127,000 naira. Other qualifications begin at 73,000 naira monthly.
What is the meaning of DPO in the Nigerian Police Force?
DPO stands for Divisional Police Officer.