The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has ordered an immediate nationwide crackdown on the use of WhatsApp and other social media platforms for official communication, following mounting concerns over the leakage of sensitive information within the force.
The directive, issued through a police wireless message from the Force Headquarters in Abuja, was sent to all commands and formations of the Nigeria Police Force, mandating an urgent review and sanitisation of all digital communication platforms used by officers.
The police leadership expressed strong displeasure over what it described as the widespread abuse of informal communication channels such as WhatsApp, warning that the trend has led to repeated breaches of internal information security protocols.
According to the signal, the development has resulted in serious lapses, including the unauthorised disclosure of official information, which it attributed to poor oversight and the use of uncensored digital platforms.
As part of the sweeping directive, commands nationwide were instructed to immediately remove all unauthorised individuals from official communication platforms and enforce stricter controls on information sharing.
The full wireless message reads:
“X WHATSAPP PLATFORMS X OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA CHAT ENGINES AS AN INFORMAL MEANS OF OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION X INGENPOL ATTENTION HAS BEEN DRAWN TO THE GROSS ABUSE OF THIS PRACTICE X RESULTING IN UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE X LEAKAGE OF OFFICIAL INFORMATION ATTRIBUTED TO POOR OVERSIGHT X UNCENSORED DIGITAL PLATFORMS X HE STRONGLY FROWNS AT THE FLAGRANT VIOLATION X NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE FORCE SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY X CONSEQUENTLY INGENPOL DIRECTS THAT X YOU IMMEDIATELY REMOVE RETIRED X TRANSFERRED X DECEASED X DISMISSED PERSONNEL FROM ALL DEPARTMENTAL WHATSAPP X OTHER OFFICIAL SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS X ENSURE PROMPT DEACTIVATION OF SUCH PLATFORMS UPON COMPLETION OF THEIR ASSIGNED PURPOSE X CONDUCT REGULAR X THOROUGH VETTING OF MEMBERSHIP X ENFORCE STRICT CONTENT MONITORING X CONTROL X RESTRICT ACCESS STRICTLY TO AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY X PRESSFOR ABUJA ONLY X YOU ARE TO IMMEDIATELY COMMENCE COMPREHENSIVE SENSITIZATION OF PERSONNEL ON FORCE SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY X CYBER HYGIENE PROTOCOLS X PROVFOR ONLY X ENSURE STRICT COMPLIANCE X AS ANY PERSONNEL FOUND CULPABLE OF VIOLATING THESE DIRECTIVES OR THE SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY X SHALL BE SANCTIONED ACCORDINGLY X TREAT AS VERY IMPORTANT X PLEASE.”
The directive emphasised that all commands must ensure strict compliance, warning that any personnel found violating the new guidelines or the Force Social Media Policy would face disciplinary sanctions.
The development highlights growing concern within the police hierarchy over internal information management, particularly amid increasing incidents of leaked documents and operational details surfacing in the public domain.
In a related development, the IGP has also ordered a major restructuring of tactical units across the country. According to another internal communication, all existing tactical teams at command, area command, and divisional levels have been dissolved and are to be reorganised into two new units.
The message noted that “all existing tactical teams at commands are being reformed into two, with operational names to be provided by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations,” adding that units such as “Lion, Tiger, Scorpion squads and others by whatever names called” are no longer to operate in their current form.
Under the new arrangement, only area commands and divisional surveillance units are permitted to operate temporarily, pending further directives from the police leadership, as efforts intensify to tighten operational control and address systemic lapses within the force.
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