§ MR. ARMITAGETo ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state the nature, strength, and distribution of the police force in Southern Nigeria, particularly in the larger towns of the western, middle, and eastern districts.
(Answered by Colonel Seely.) The police in Southern Nigeria is an armed and disciplined force of African natives. The actual strength in 1907 was 1,122 rank and file, with twelve African and ten European officers. The distribution was: Western Province, 536, Central, 247; and Eastern, 339. The force stationed in the six most important centres was: Lagos, 303; Calabar, 119; Warri and Gana Gana, 66; Benin, 25; Forcados and Burutu, 22; Sapele, 21. The large towns of Ibadan and Abeokuta are not policed by the Southern Nigeria force, but provide their own police.