In recent years, the number of Nigerian police officers dying by suicide has surged with disturbing frequency.
From junior constables to seasoned officers with decades of service, the trend cuts across rank and region.
In March 2025, the Ogun State Police Command confirmed the death of a police inspector, Ajele Oloyede, attached to 78 PMF, Zamfara State, who took his own life while on special duty at Goodwill Ceramic Company in Igbesa, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Omolola Odutola, who made this known in a statement, said investigation had been launched into the tragic death of the inspector.
She said, “The incident occurred on March 14, 2025, at about 13:20 hours. According to preliminary reports, Tolorunloju Stephen, an officer attached to Force Headquarters Annex, Lagos, who was also on special duty at the company, stated that he had just returned from Ikeja when he entered the security office and found Inspector Oloyede resting his head on a table.
“After exchanging pleasantries and briefly inquiring about his well-being, Oloyede responded positively.
“Shortly after, Stephen proceeded to the restroom, but moments later, he heard a gunshot. Rushing back, he found Inspector Oloyede lying in a pool of blood.
“With the assistance of private security personnel, the injured officer was immediately rushed to Ota General Hospital, where he was confirmed dead by the attending doctor.
“The firearm used in the incident has been recovered, and the body has been deposited at the hospital for an autopsy.”
The police PRO said that the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, who received the shocking news, has ordered a full-scale investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident, including the possibility of foul play as well as any mental health factors.
Similarly, on February 9, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Shafiu Bawah, died by suicide in Niger State.
The State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday.
According to the Command’s spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, the incident occurred on February 8, 2025, at the 61 Police Mobile Force base in Kontagora.
It is, however, unclear what motivated the suicide.
The police authorities said the officer’s body was removed from the scene and later released to the family for burial.
Meanwhile, the Command said it has launched an investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.
Four days earlier, on February 5, a police constable attached to Mada Station Division of the Nasarawa Command, shot and killed himself.
The constable, identified as Dogara Akolo-Moses, was reportedly seen going about his duty in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area, where the division is located, on the day he took his life.
A witness said he went into a private room and shot himself. The sound of the gun attracted all officers on duty, who rushed to the scene but found him lying in a pool of his blood.
The rationale behind the act was also still unclear as of the time of filing this report.
Confirming the ugly incident to journalists in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ramhan Nansel, said an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the officer’s action.
Earlier in April, a yet-to-be-identified retired police officer also allegedly died by suicide after killing three people, including two of his family members, at the Yovoyan community in the Badagry area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident, reportedly linked to a long-standing land dispute, occurred in the early hours of Tuesday.
The deceased victims were identified as Richard Atideka and Latevi Atideka, both from the Yovoyan community, and Muji Onilude from the neighbouring Gberefu community.
It was gathered that the deceased, alongside some unidentified assailants, armed with weapons, stormed the premises of Richard and Latevi at about 2 am, went into their rooms and shot them and fled.
Meanwhile, the ex-police officer, in a separate attack, was said to have proceeded to Onilude’s house, where he also shot him dead.
“Oluyide is not a member of the family, but he was also shot by the ex-officer shortly after killing his two family members.
According to a report lodged at the police station, members of the community confirmed they heard gunshots at midnight.
While confirming the incident, the Lagos State Police Command said the perpetrator went on to take his own life after committing the act.
The command spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, told PUNCH Metro that the ex-police officer allegedly took a poisonous substance, became unconscious, and was later rushed to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
“The man, who is the suspect in the incident, is dead. He killed three people and allegedly took poison after committing the act. He was thereafter rushed to the hospital, where the doctor confirmed him dead. His corpse and those of the people he killed have been deposited in the morgue.”
DCP Oyedemi’s death in 2024
One shocking suicide that shook the Nigerian security space was that of Gbolahan Oyedemi, a Deputy Commissioner of Police serving with the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, Lagos State.
He was reported to have taken his own life at his private residence in his hometown in Oyo State.
Oyedemi, who served as the Aide-de-Camp to the late former governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala, during his 11-month tenure as de facto governor in 2006, was found dead, with his body hanging.
According to a source close to the family, Oyedemi, who usually visited his hometown during the Easter celebrations, told his aides over the weekend to travel to their respective towns to celebrate with their families.
“Yes, he committed suicide. His body was found hanging in his house yesterday (Monday). He lived alone and normally came home for Easter celebrations,” the source said.
“This time, he told his aides to go and celebrate with their families in their various homes. Only God knows what could have prompted him to commit suicide,” the source added.
As old as time
Suicides by police officers are not new. In February 2020, a police inspector in Lagos State, Okon Essien, reportedly took his own life while in detention for a murder charge, inside a cell at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos, where he was being held.
The incident was contained in a statement released on Wednesday by Bala Elkana, the Lagos police spokesperson.
Mr Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the officer killed himself “to avoid trial.”
The late Essien was detained for allegedly shooting and killing one Hassan Usman.
According to the statement, Essien, along with three other officers, had ‘intercepted’ four suspects near Area 12, Offshore Oil Dangote Refinery Project, Akodo, on January 31.
The offence for which the suspects were intercepted was not disclosed.
The four suspects were identified as Samson Ugonah, Omachi Godwin, Hassan Usman, and Prosper Okoye.
What data tells us
A growing body of evidence points to untreated mental illness as a key factor driving suicides among police officers globally.
In Nigeria, this is exacerbated by systemic neglect. According to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Psychology in Africa, law enforcement personnel in Nigeria suffer significantly higher rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder than the general population due to repeated exposure to violence, civil unrest, and internal conflict.
“There is an urgent need for psychosocial interventions tailored specifically to uniformed personnel,” wrote Adeyemi-Bello and Okonkwo in their article titled “Trauma and Depression Among Uniformed Officers in Sub-Saharan Africa” (Journal of Psychology in Africa, 2022).
In another seminal paper, “Work-related Stress and Mental Health Challenges of Police Officers in Nigeria: A Critical Review” (Nwankwo & Opara, 2021, African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies), the authors argue that a majority of Nigerian police officers suffer from unaddressed cumulative stress, an invisible burden that deteriorates cognitive performance and decision-making over time.
The lack of a functioning mental health care system within the Nigeria Police Force means officers often go undiagnosed and untreated.
Institutional, structural neglect
The average Nigerian police officer operates under conditions that would cripple morale in any professional setup.
A 2018 report by the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria revealed that many officers live in dilapidated barracks, often without running water, electricity, or sanitation.
Salaries are meagre, promotions are delayed, and transfers, arbitrary.
“I once knew a colleague who hadn’t seen his children in two years because he was transferred to Maiduguri without housing support. He eventually took his life,” a retired officer told this reporter, requesting anonymity.
Dr Chuka Onwudinjo, a clinical psychologist and expert on police mental health, describes this as “institutional attrition.”
“It’s not just one stressor; it’s the total environment. Constant exposure to danger, poor compensation, zero psychological support, and a culture that mocks vulnerability—it is no wonder that suicide becomes a release for some,” he said.
Culture of silence and criminalisation of suicide
Nigeria’s criminal code still classifies attempted suicide as a criminal offence under Section 327, punishable by up to one year in prison. Mental health experts say this law is one of the biggest deterrents to seeking help.
A 2022 policy brief from the Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative states, “Criminalisation perpetuates stigma and drives suicidal individuals underground, especially within hierarchical institutions like the police force where weakness is frowned upon.”
Furthermore, officers are often not encouraged, or even permitted, to show vulnerability.
In an unpublished 2023 dissertation at the University of Ibadan, researcher Tunde Afolayan interviewed 30 police officers across four states and found that 76 per cent had experienced symptoms of anxiety or depression in the past year, yet only two had sought help.
What are other countries doing right?
Globally, suicide among law enforcement is not new. In the United States, the nonprofit Blue H.E.L.P. tracks police suicides and offers resources for mental wellness.
In the UK, the Police Care UK Charity provides trauma therapy and peer support for officers experiencing PTSD.
In contrast, Nigeria lacks even a rudimentary internal wellness system.
A 2020 UNESCO working paper titled ‘Mental Health and Law Enforcement in Africa: A Continental Review’ ranked Nigeria among the bottom three countries in terms of police mental health provisions.
“While South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana have made progress by integrating trauma-informed training into their police academies, Nigeria has yet to establish a standardised psychological evaluation protocol for its officers,” the report noted.
Policy reform
In 2021, the Nigeria Police Force announced a partnership with the Mind Management Institute, pledging to conduct psychological evaluations for officers carrying firearms. However, implementation has been sporadic and poorly documented.
Legislative efforts to repeal Section 327 of the Criminal Code have also stalled in the National Assembly. Mental health remains a low priority in national discourse, despite the 2019 Mental Health Bill passing the first reading.
“There is no institutional will to move from rhetoric to action,” said Dr Olamide Akinyemi, a psychiatrist and human rights advocate. “Mental health remains the poor cousin of health care in Nigeria.”
Hidden toll on families
Suicide doesn’t just end one life, it ripples outward, devastating families.
Grace Chukwuma, widow of a police inspector who died by suicide in 2020, says she received no explanation, no support, and no follow-up from the force.
“They only came to collect his uniform. That was it. We were left to bury him with our grief and questions,” she told this reporter.
A Clinical Psychologist, Dr Funsho Adetiba, who has consulted for both private security firms and government agencies, offered a stark but practical assessment of the crisis and a possible way forward.
“We’re witnessing a mental health time bomb in the Nigerian Police Force,” he said. “Suicide among officers isn’t just about personal weakness or moral failing; it’s about institutional neglect. We cannot keep losing officers like this and expect public safety not to be compromised. We must act now, and decisively.”
Adetiba proposed what he calls a framework that could begin to stem the tide:
First, he advocated for the urgent decriminalisation of attempted suicide, noting that Section 327 of Nigeria’s Criminal Code “not only punishes those already at their lowest, but it also actively discourages help-seeking behaviour.”
According to him, “Repealing that law is a critical first step if we want to remove stigma and enable early intervention.”
Second, he stressed the need for dedicated mental health units within police barracks and divisions.
“Every regional command should have at least one clinical psychologist on staff. Mental health support should not be an afterthought, it should be embedded within the system,” Adetiba added.
He also recommended mandatory annual psychological evaluations, advising, “Officers undergo physical drills, combat training, and weapon certification. Why is mental fitness not treated with the same level of urgency? Routine psychological assessments could help identify red flags early on.”
He also suggested the introduction of peer support systems and trauma-informed leadership training.
“Senior officers should be trained in basic counselling, trauma de-escalation, and how to recognise signs of emotional distress among their subordinates. We need an internal culture that allows people to speak up without fear of mockery or punishment,” Adetiba added.
The psychologist called for urgent welfare reforms, especially in the area of remuneration.
“The number of officers I’ve spoken to who haven’t received full salaries or benefits in months is staggering. You can’t expect someone to protect others when they’re uncertain of how they’ll pay rent or feed their family,” he noted.
Lastly, Adetiba recommended the creation of a National Police Suicide Registry.
He added, “We need data, anonymous, protected, and comprehensive. Without it, we’re working blind. A registry will help us identify patterns, hotspots, and triggers, and shape policy from a place of evidence, not speculation.”
He added, “The police are trained to care for us in our worst moments. But who cares for them in theirs? If we don’t begin to care for the caretakers, we’ll keep losing them in silence—and the ripple effects will cost us all.”
