IGP Appoints SP Orvenonne Ikwen as National Coordinator of POCACOV
…Tasks her with strengthening preventive policing and expanding community-driven crime-prevention initiatives
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD., NPM, has approved the appointment of SP Orvenonne Ikwen as the new National Coordinator of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV)—a flagship non-kinetic initiative of the Nigeria Police Force aimed at curbing cultism and a wide range of social vices through community-driven engagement.
The appointment reflects the IGP’s commitment to building a modern, intelligence-led, technology-driven, and people-centred policing model, one that prioritizes early intervention, community partnership, and strategies that foster trust and public participation in crime prevention.
SP Ikwen, a seasoned police officer and development practitioner, brings to the role a rich blend of operational experience and academic excellence. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science from the University of Calabar. Her professional portfolio includes key contributions to technology-enabled policing, public relations, behavioural change communication, and security-sector reforms.
She is also a member of the Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria (ISMN) and the Institute of Conflict Management & Negotiation Analyst (ICMNA), and has been involved in several inter-agency initiatives and research efforts geared toward police transformation and social development.
As National Coordinator, SP Ikwen is expected to broaden POCACOV’s reach across schools, tertiary institutions, communities, and youth-driven organisations. Her mandate includes scaling up preventive programmes that address cultism, drug abuse, cybercrime vulnerabilities, gender-based violence, misinformation, and other emerging social threats using participatory and community-focused strategies.
The Inspector-General of Police urged her to deploy innovative, proactive methods in collaborating with a wide network of stakeholders—ranging from community leaders and educational institutions to civil society groups and development partners—who have consistently supported the POCACOV initiative.
