The Delta State Police Command has welcomed a new Commissioner of Police, CP Samuel Etaifo Erale, psc, mnips, who has assumed duty as the 25th Commissioner of Police in the state.
Erale succeeds CP Yemi John Oyeniyi, psc, acipm, mnips, following his posting to the command by the Nigeria Police Force in August 2026.
The new Delta CP, a tested operational commander with extensive experience in tactical operations, administration, criminal investigation, personnel management and community safety, brings more than three decades of policing experience to his new assignment.
Born on March 2, 1968, at Pedro Police Barracks, Shomolu, Lagos State, Erale hails from Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State.
He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1992, before joining the Nigeria Police Force in 1994 as a member of Course 18 Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Police.
He began his policing career in Kogi State Command and subsequently served in several commands and formations across the country, including Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Rivers, Osun and Kogi states, as well as Zone 7 Headquarters and the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Erale also gained international policing experience when he served as part of the Nigeria Police Force contingent deployed to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo in 2000.
His career has seen him occupy several strategic operational and administrative positions, including Personal Assistant to the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command; Personal Assistant to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 7, Abuja; Police Mobile Force Provost; Squadron Commander, MOPOL 33, Ekiti State; and Squadron Commander, MOPOL 26, Akwa Ibom State.
He also served as Chief Superintendent of Police, Administration, Osun State Command; CSP, Promotions, Office of the Force Secretary, Force Headquarters, Abuja; Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations, Bayelsa State Command; ACP Operations, Ekiti State Command; and at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja.
Before his elevation to the rank of Commissioner of Police, Erale served as Deputy Commissioner of Police, Administration, Rivers State Command, from 2022 to 2026, and later as Deputy Commissioner of Police, Community Safety and Crime Prevention, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
A significant part of his career was spent in the Police Mobile Force, where he served for 14 years, including nine years as a Squadron Commander.
His extensive tactical and operational experience also earned him a national assignment as Commissioner of Police in charge of elections during the recently concluded off-cycle elections in Osun State.
The Police Command described the election assignment as one of the most peaceful and successful elections in recent times, further underscoring Erale’s experience in managing complex security operations.
While undertaking the national assignment, he was posted to Delta State as the 25th Commissioner of Police.
The new CP is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Institute of Police Studies, where he became a Member of the National Institute of Police Studies (MNIPS) in 2001.
He has attended several professional and specialised courses, including the Advanced Detective Course in 1999; Small Arms and Explosives Course at the International Law Enforcement Academy, Gaborone, Botswana, in 2005; Tactical Leadership and Command Course at the Police Staff College, Jos, in 2014; Peace Support Course at the National Defence College in 2015; and Strategic and Senior Command Course in 2021.
He also attended several Police Mobile Force training programmes at Ila-Orangun, Osun State, and Ende Hills, Nasarawa State.
The Delta State Police Command said Erale’s career has been characterised by professionalism, discipline, operational leadership, commitment to duty, personnel management and the maintenance of public safety.
With his broad experience in tactical policing, criminal investigation, administration and community safety, the new Commissioner is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear on policing and security operations across Delta State.
CP Erale is married and blessed with children. He enjoys badminton and brisk walking in his leisure time.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued by the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, ANIPR, FCIA, FIPMD.
