Police Dismiss Claims Of Forcing Officers To Buy N2,000 Handbook

The Nigeria Police Force has denied reports alleging that it compelled its personnel nationwide to purchase a handbook titled, “Attitudinal Change Handbook for the Nigeria Police Force” at the cost of N2,000 per officer.

An online report had claimed that police authorities directed all personnel to pay the sum for the book, reportedly making the purchase compulsory with a deadline set for Thursday.

However, in a document sighted by PUNCH Metro on Monday, the approval was conveyed in a letter dated May 28, 2025, from the Department of Training and Development, Force Headquarters, Abuja, introducing the author, Dr. Joseph Danley.

According to the letter signed by the Commissioner of Police (Training), Rashid Afegbua, on behalf of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, the author was granted permission to market the handbook directly to interested officers who wish to purchase it voluntarily.

“I am directed to introduce Dr. Joseph Danley, author of the handbook “Attitudinal Change for Nigeria Police Force” and convey the approval of the Inspector-General of Police to enable him to directly market the Handbook to interested Police Officers who may wish to voluntarily procure same,” the circular partly read.

When contacted, the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, dismissed the report as misleading.

According to him, the purchase of the handbook was entirely voluntary.

He said, “The correspondence emanated from the Force Headquarters to the commissioners of police, telling them that the book should be sold to interested police officers and that it should be voluntary.

“I have conducted my findings, and no command has forced the book on any officer. I don’t know where that report came from. Maybe one officer somewhere made it compulsory, and that should be reported to us, not to the media. The real power to discipline such an officer lies with the Police Service Commission. So, anyone who has such information should bring it forward,” he added.

Also clarifying the background of the initiative, the author of the book, Danley, said the publication was part of an effort to improve professionalism and ethics within the police force.

He said he had initially proposed charging N25,000 for the training, but the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, made it free.

He said, “We sent a proposal to the Inspector-General of Police to embark on the reorientation of the mindset of an average police officer. Initially, we charged N25,000 per participant, but the IG was magnanimous to say there’s no money for that. So, he only approved the sale and stated that it should be sold to officers willing to buy, while the seminar remains free of charge.”

Danley added that he had personally delivered copies of the handbook to several state commands, where officers who were interested in purchasing it did so voluntarily.

“I have flown to some states to deliver the book, and those who wanted to buy did, while I picked up the remaining. So, I don’t know why there are claims that my book is being forced on the officers,” he said.