NigeriaNG

Article 215 — Appointment of Inspector-General and control of Nigeria

Article
215
Chapter
CHAPTER V — The Legislature
Index row title
Appointment of Inspector-General and control of Nigeria
Source document
nigerian constitution
Provision ID
6e9e2e49-54f7-4e6a-918f-410988b939b6

348 words

Verbatim text

Police Force (1) There shall be – (a) an Inspector-General of Police who, subject to section 216(2) of this Constitution shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Nigeria Police Council from among serving members of the Nigeria Police Force; (b) a Commissioner of Police for each State of the Federation who shall be appointed by the Police Service Commission. (2) The Nigeria Police Force shall be under the command of the Inspector-General of Police and contingents of the Nigeria Police Force stationed in a State shall, subject to the authority of the Inspector-General of Police, be under the command of the Commissioner of Police of that State. (3) The President or such other Minister of the Government of the Federation as he may authorise in that behalf may give to the Inspector-General of Police such lawful directions with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order as he may consider necessary, and the Inspector-General of Police shall comply with those direction or cause them to be compiled with. (4) Subject to the provisions of this section, the Governor of a State or such Commissioner of the Government of the State as he may authorise in that behalf, may give to the Commissioner of Police of that State such lawful directions with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order within the State as he may consider necessary, and the Commissioner of Police shall comply with those directions or cause them to be complied with: The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Updated with the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth AlterationsProvided that before carrying out any such directions under the foregoing provisions of this subsection the Commissioner of Police may request that the matter be referred to the President or such Minister of the Government of the Federation as may be authorised in that behalf by the President for his directions. (5) The question whether any, and if so what, directions have been given under this section shall not be inquired into in any court.

What this means

  • The index files this text under article 215 of the Constitution of Nigeria.
  • The index files it under the chapter heading “CHAPTER V — The Legislature”.
  • The row is titled “Appointment of Inspector-General and control of Nigeria”.
  • The passage runs to about 348 words.
  • Read plainly, it mentions police powers — it sets out what the police or other security services may do (the words used: “Police”).

This is a mechanical reading aid generated from the text above by matching words in it. It is not legal advice, not a lawyer’s interpretation, and not a substitute for the provision itself.

How to cite this

Constitution of Nigeria, article 215 (“Appointment of Inspector-General and control of Nigeria”), Portable Lawyer, https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/6e9e2e49-54f7-4e6a-918f-410988b939b6 (accessed 25 October 2026).

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Accessed 25 October 2026.

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