Social Media and the Rebranding of Nigeria Police: Taming ‘the Guns’ and ‘the Gunners’

ODUNLAMI Olusegun Abimbola, PhD; ODIGIE Joseph Dayo, PhD

doi:10.5281/zenodo.14719223

Social Media and the Rebranding of Nigeria Police: Taming ‘the Guns’ and ‘the Gunners’

Authors

ODUNLAMI Olusegun Abimbola, PhD 1Department of Mass Communication, Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8721-1457
ODIGIE Joseph Dayo, PhD Department of Mass Communication, Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8721-1457

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14719223

Abstract

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has historically struggled with public mistrust, thus, creating the need
for rebranding efforts to improve transparency, trust and community relations. This study aimed to
examine the role of social media in reshaping the NPF’s public image from a traditional
enforcement/policing model to a community-friendly institution. Anchored on agenda-setting and social
identity theories, survey research design was used, with a sample of 384 residents determined via
Cochran’s formula from a population of 526,565 in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, Ogun State,
while participants were selected through simple random sampling technique. Data were collected
through structured questionnaire, with descriptive analysis revealing that social media significantly
improves public trust and accountability, despite challenges related to resources and legal restrictions.
The study concluded that social media is a valuable tool in transforming police-public relations in
Nigeria. The study recommended enhanced digital training for officers, sustained transparency-driven
social media updates and the mitigation of operational constraints.

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2025-01-22

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ODUNLAMI Olusegun Abimbola, PhD, & ODIGIE Joseph Dayo, PhD. (2025). Social Media and the Rebranding of Nigeria Police: Taming ‘the Guns’ and ‘the Gunners’. GVU Journal of Management and Social Sciences, 9(2), 114–126. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14719223

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Social Media and the Rebranding of Nigeria Police: Taming ‘the Guns’ and ‘the Gunners’

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