Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja 

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has stated that it is working on improving the mental health of its personnel for better policing.

Force Medical Director (FMD), Directorate of Force Medical Services, AIG Melchior Eze, stated this on Friday in Abuja at the ongoing 2025 Annual National Congress and Scientific Conference (ANCSC), with the theme, ‘Mental Health Emergency in Nigeria: The Role of Clinical Psychologist.’

The conference, which commenced October 29 and ends November 2, was organised by the Nigerian Association of Clinical Psychologists (NACP).

Eze, who chaired the conference, noted that on assumption of office, she made the mental health of police officers her primary concern.

“On my assumption of duty as the Force Medical Director, one of my priorities is improving the mental health of our police officers which is a key component of the visions of the Inspector-General of Police, (IGP).

“This prompted me to begin the process of repositioning the Police Counselling and Support Unit (PSCU) to offer the necessary services to the officers and men of the Force.

“Mental health is a critical aspect of our overall well-being, yet it remains a neglected area in Nigeria. The prevalence of mental health issues is alarming, with estimates suggesting that one in four Nigerians suffers from some form of mental disorder,” she said.

The Comptroller General of the Nigerian Correctional Centre (NCC), Sylvester Nwakuche, who was represented by the Assistant Comptroller General, NCC, Stanley Otalu, said: “Mental health crisis are becoming increasingly prevalent across all sectors of our society, including within the correctional system where they present unique challenges and demand specialised responses. 

“Why is this so? The inmate who is coming into detention would have been battered by the arresting agencies and coming with hopelessness combined with loneliness and defective support systems within the system.”

In his opening speech, the President, Nigerian Psychological Association (NPA), Prof. Gboyega Abokoye, said there was a national metal health emergency.

He said: “We indeed have a mental health emergency on our hands. It is good that the conversation of the 2025 clinical psychologists have special roles to play in a robust and effective mental health system, and psychologists have been grossly underemphasized.”

The Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC), Prof. David Igbokwe, noted that mental health has become a national issue for discourse.

“The world is confronting multiple layers of crisis that have placed mental health at the centre of national dialogue. From economic hardship, displacement and insecurity to the silent epidemics of depression, substance abuse and suicide, Nigeria faces what can aptly be described as a mental health emergency. 

“It calls on us not just to analyse problems, but to develop sustainable, empirical interventions that speak to the Nigerian reality, interventions that are culturally sensitive, ethically grounded and socially responsive,” he added.

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