The West African country, which plays a pivotal role in regional stability, is riven by security problems ranging from armed bandits who have forced 40,000 people to leave the northwest in recent months to communal violence between nomadic herdsmen and farming communities in central states.

Last month, a United Nations special rapporteur described Nigeria as a “pressure cooker of internal conflict” due to security problems and what it said was an excessive use of lethal force by police and military.

Mohammed Adamu told a gathering of senior officers in the capital, Abuja, that he had “initiated actions” towards deploying less lethal weapons – commonly known as stun guns – for low-risk police operations.

“This is with the intention of addressing public concerns on misuse of firearms by the police with its attendant consequences on lives and effect on the attainment of our community policing vision,” Adamu said, according to a copy of the speech distributed to media.

He did not say how much the stun guns would cost.

Adamu said the force had also revised and simplified “Force Order 237”, which outlines its rules of engagement.

He did not specify what changes were made, but said the redesign would ensure the “protection of fundamental human rights” in policing.

The force is also arranging special training for certain units, including the counter-terrorism unit, anti-robbery and kidnapping squads, and criminal investigation specialists.