Nigeria has lost one of its most respected former police chiefs. Solomon Ehigiator Arase, the country’s 18th Inspector-General of Police (IGP), passed away on Sunday, August 31, 2025, at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja. He was 69.
As of press time, neither his family nor the Nigeria Police Force has issued an official statement confirming the development.
Born on June 21, 1956, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Arase’s life was defined by decades of service to the Nigeria Police Force. He studied Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, graduating in 1980, before joining the force on December 1, 1981. Never one to stop learning, he later earned a Law degree from the University of Benin and a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos.
Arase rose steadily through the ranks, serving as Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of intelligence, and heading the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, the NPF’s top intelligence arm. He also represented Nigeria in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Namibia, further cementing his international profile.
In April 2015, he was appointed as the 18th Inspector-General of Police, a role he held until June 21, 2016, when he retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age. His tenure was remembered for his focus on intelligence-driven policing.
After retirement, Arase remained influential in Nigeria’s security architecture. In January 2023, the late President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him as Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC). However, in June 2024, President Bola Tinubu removed him from that role.
Beyond his career, Arase was also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence Academy and one of the few police chiefs respected across political divides.
