The detection, prevention and investigation of criminal activities in Nigeria is the primary responsibility of the

In Nigeria, the institution primarily responsible for the detection, prevention, and investigation of criminal activities is the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). This mandate is established under Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution and the Police Act, which assigns the police the core duties of maintaining law and order, preventing and detecting crime, and apprehending offenders.

While the military may be called upon to assist in internal security during emergencies, its primary role is the defence of the nation against external aggression. Vigilante groups are informal, community-based bodies with no constitutional law-enforcement mandate. Citizens have a civic duty to report crime and assist law enforcement, but they do not bear the primary institutional responsibility for criminal investigation.

The police force is distinct because it is the only organ of the state specifically created and empowered by law to carry out routine criminal detection, prevention, and investigation across all parts of the federation.