The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has called on parents to take primary responsibility for instilling discipline and good character in their children, rather than leaving the task to police officers or teachers.
Speaking in a recent video shared by the Nigeria Police Force’s official social media channels, IGP Disu stressed that while police officers and teachers play supportive roles in society, the foundation of a child’s upbringing must be laid at home.
“Parenting starts at home,” the Force said in a statement accompanying the IGP’s remarks. “Police officers and teachers are here to support our communities, but true discipline and character-building begin with family.”
According to the police chief, parents remain their children’s first and most important teachers, and must guide them with patience, unconditional love, and sound values from an early age.
“Parents must take active responsibility as their children’s first teachers, guiding them with patience, unconditional love, and proper values, rather than shifting the duty to law enforcement or schools,” the IGP said.
The Force added that strengthening family units was central to building a safer and more compassionate society.
In a separate engagement earlier in the day, IGP Disu addressed security stakeholders at the North-West Security Summit held in Gusau, Zamfara State, where he underscored that tackling insecurity in the region cannot be the responsibility of any single security agency.
The IGP told the summit that community participation and local knowledge were indispensable to identifying and countering criminal elements operating across the North-West.
“Securing the North-West cannot be achieved by any single security agency,” Disu said, stressing the importance of collaboration between security forces and the communities they serve.
He further highlighted the value of non-kinetic strategies — measures beyond direct armed confrontation — in preventing crime and reinforcing long-term security across the region.
“Community participation and the knowledge of local stakeholders are critical in identifying criminal elements,” he added, noting that non-kinetic measures remain central to crime prevention and sustainable security in the North-West.
The IGP called on stakeholders at the summit to sustain the collective effort needed to build a safer North-West, describing security as a shared responsibility between government, security agencies, and the citizenry.
