Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and ex-chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Solomon Arase, has died at the age of 69.
Arase reportedly breathed his last at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja. As of press time, the exact circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, with no official statement yet from his family or the Nigeria Police Force.
Arase, Nigeria’s 18th IGP, served from April 2015 until his retirement in June 2016. He was later appointed chairman of the PSC in January 2023 by then-President Muhammadu Buhari but was relieved of the position in June 2024 by President Bola Tinubu.
Born on June 21, 1956, in Owan West LGA of Edo State, Arase studied Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduating in 1980. He joined the Nigeria Police Force on December 1, 1981, before obtaining a Law degree from the University of Benin and a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos.
Over the course of his career, he held several top positions, including Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Intelligence, and head of the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau. He also served 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 mandatory retirement age.