A coalition of Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, has eulogized Dr. Solomon Ehigiator Arase, former Inspector-General of Police and immediate past Chairman of the Police Service Commission, PSC, who died on Sunday, 31st August, 2025, at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja.
In a tribute titled, ‘Celebrating the Life and Legacy of a Rare Breed of Police Officer’, the CSOs led by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, said Arase was not just another police officer, but an exceptional professional, and a reform-minded leader whose life epitomized integrity, intellect, discipline, and dedication to public service.
Other signatories to the statement were the Confluence of Rights, Nigeria, COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peacebuilding, Abak, Akwa Ibom State, the Victims Support Africa Foundation (Abuja), the Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS), the Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development (FENRAD), among others.
The CSOs said at a time when the Nigeria Police Force was plagued by a deep crisis of legitimacy, Arase stood tall as a model of what policing in a democracy should embody.
The statement hailed what it called ‘Arase’s distinguished career of meritorious service’ at the various positions he held while in active service and after retirement, noting that he was also an intellectual and a reformer.
“Dr. Arase was a rare combination of scholar and practitioner. He was a graduate of Political Science and Law, held two Master’s degrees, one in Law (specialising in Corporate Management and Finance) and another in Strategic Studies, and went on to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Law.
“His reformist instincts transcended Nigeria. He served as Secretary to a Presidential Committee on Police Reform, a member of the Nigeria Police Committee on Constitutional and Police Act Reforms, and worked with international institutions such as the Office of the National Security Adviser, the European Centre for Electoral Support, the Human Rights Centre at the University of Oslo, and the UN Committee on the Prevention of Torture in Geneva, Switzerland,” the groups said.
The CSOs noted that what truly distinguished Arase from many of his peers was his openness to constructive civil society engagement, adding that while some police leaders often perceived rights groups as adversaries, Arase welcomed dialogue and collaboration.
Describing his loss as a monumental loss, not only to his family, colleagues, and the Nigeria Police Force, but also to the nation and the international community of policing and human rights advocates, the groups regretted that Nigeria has lost a reformer, a thinker, and a patriot who proved by example that policing can be a force for good.
“As CSOs, we celebrate his life, honor his legacy, and urge the Nigerian government and the police establishment to honour his memory by faithfully implementing the Nigeria Police Act 2020 and sustaining the reforms he championed: intelligence-led policing, transparency in recruitment, accountability, community partnership, and unwavering respect for human rights,” the statement read.
