The Nigeria Police Force has launched the NPF Vigilant App, a digital platform that enables Nigerians to report suspected financial fraud, upload supporting evidence, and track the progress of their complaints directly from their smartphones.
Launch Details and Purpose
The app was unveiled on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, by Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu at the NPF Conference Centre in Jabi, Abuja. It was launched alongside the NPF–MTN Closed User Group (CUG) Network, both part of the Force's strategy to leverage technology for improved public engagement, fraud reporting, and police operations.
The Vigilant App is a citizen-facing platform developed by the Force ICT Department in collaboration with stakeholders in the financial-services sector. According to the Police, it allows users to submit suspected fraud reports, upload relevant evidence, track their cases, and receive feedback while supporting coordination with relevant institutions in line with existing laws and procedures.
How the NPF Vigilant App Works
The app is particularly aimed at cases involving financial fraud and unauthorised transactions, giving victims a digital channel to lodge complaints and follow up on them. The process is straightforward: download the app, register, report the incident, provide transaction details, upload evidence, submit the complaint, track the case, and receive feedback.
Step 1: Download and register. The app is available on iOS and Android. If you have been affected by a suspected fraudulent or unauthorised transaction, you can use the NPF Vigilant App to submit a complaint digitally rather than relying solely on physical reporting channels.
Step 2: Enter details of the transaction. When making a report, users are required to fill in details about the incident and the transaction involved, as stated in the app's published "How It Works" information.
Step 3: Upload supporting evidence. Users can attach relevant evidence to their complaints, allowing the Police and other institutions to have supporting information alongside the initial report. The Nigeria Police Force specifically identified evidence uploads as one of the app's features.
Tracking, Feedback, and Coordination
Step 4: Submit the complaint and track the case. After submitting, users can monitor its progress through the platform. The app's terms and conditions also state that users can view and track complaint progress.
Step 5: Receive feedback and follow up. The Police say users can receive feedback through the platform as their cases progress. The app also provides for one-on-one communication with customer service regarding the progress of an incident report.
The platform is designed to support coordination with relevant institutions in the financial-services ecosystem. Representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), financial institutions, fintech companies, and other stakeholders attended the launch. This means the app is not simply a place to submit a complaint and stop there; its stated purpose is to create a channel through which a fraud complaint can be submitted, supported with evidence, monitored, and followed up with the relevant institutions.
Responsible Use and Outcomes
The Police have urged Nigerians to download the NPF Vigilant App from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store and use it responsibly when reporting suspected financial fraud. Inspector-General Disu said technology should be deployed lawfully, ethically, and responsibly, with due regard for citizens' rights, privacy, data protection, and accountability.
The NPF Vigilant App was launched alongside the NPF–MTN CUG Network, but the two platforms serve different purposes. While the Vigilant App is designed for public reporting of suspected financial fraud, the CUG Network is intended for police personnel, providing secure and affordable on-net communication to support emergency coordination and operational response nationwide.
For Nigerians who fall victim to a fraudulent transaction, the process is therefore straightforward: open the app, report the incident, provide the transaction details, upload relevant evidence, submit the complaint, track the case, and receive feedback. However, Nigerians should not assume that submitting a report automatically means their money will be recovered or that a suspected account will immediately be frozen. The Police have said the platform facilitates reporting, tracking, feedback, and coordination with relevant institutions, while the app describes itself as supporting recovery. The eventual outcome will depend on the circumstances of each case and the actions taken by the Police and other relevant institutions.
