The Delta State Police Command has welcomed CP Samuel Etaifo Erale, as its 25th Commissioner of Police, following his assumption of office on Monday, August 31, 2026.
Erale takes over from CP Yemi John Oyeniyi, as the new police commissioner charged with overseeing security and policing operations across Delta State.
Born on March 2, 1968, at Pedro Police Barracks, Shomolu, Lagos State, CP Erale hails from Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, which he obtained in 1992.
He joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1994 as a member of Course 18 Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Police and began his professional career in Kogi State Command.
A significant part of his career has been devoted to tactical and operational policing.
He spent 14 years in the Police Mobile Force, serving as a Squadron Commander for nine years.
His career has also taken him to several commands and formations, including Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Rivers, Osun and Kogi states, as well as Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja, and the Force Headquarters.
Among his notable appointments were Personal Assistant to the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State; Personal Assistant to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 7, Abuja; PMF Provost; Squadron Commander, MOPOL 33, Ekiti State; Squadron Commander, MOPOL 26, Akwa Ibom State; and various administrative and operational positions at the Force Headquarters and the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja.
He also served in the Promotions Section of the Office of the Force Secretary at different ranks, including Chief Superintendent of Police and Assistant Commissioner of Police.
His other appointments include CSP Administration, Osun State Command; AC Operations, Bayelsa State Command; AC Operations, Ekiti State Command; DC Administration, Rivers State Command, where he served from 2022 to 2026; and DC Community Safety and Crime Prevention at Force Headquarters, Abuja.
CP Erale has also gained international policing experience. In 2000, he served as part of the Nigeria Police Force contingent to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, where he participated in international peace-support operations.
His extensive operational experience recently saw him deployed as Commissioner of Police in charge of elections during the concluded off-cycle governorship election in Osun State.
The command described the election as one of the most peaceful and successful elections in recent times.
While undertaking the national assignment in Osun State, Erale was appointed Commissioner of Police, Delta State, in August 2026.
The new Delta CP is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Institute of Police Studies.
He has attended several professional and tactical 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 underwent several specialised Police Mobile Force training programmes at Ila-Orangun, Osun State, and Ende Hills, Nasarawa State.
The command, in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, described CP Erale as a tested and trusted operational commander whose career has been marked by professionalism, discipline, commitment to duty, personnel management and operational leadership.
With experience spanning operations, administration, criminal investigation, personnel management, community safety and international policing, the new commissioner is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear on policing and public safety in Delta State.
Beyond his professional duties, CP Erale is married with children. His leisure interests include badminton and brisk walking.
