The Mobile Police have developed into a full-fledged security and anti-crime force to combat armed banditry, violent militant groups, religious insurrection, and many others.

These range from lack of adequate office and barracks accommodation to a shortage of arms and ammunition, operational vehicles, communication equipment and non payment of allowances to personnel on emergency duties as at when due.

[1] The Mobile Police have been widely reported as brutal violators of human rights, particularly during the 1990s, which has earned them the nickname "Kill-and-Go" amongst the Nigerian population (this is because they are known to gun down innocent civilians and simply walk away with impunity).

The MOPOL constitute one of the primary means of political repression employed by the Nigerian state for maintaining control over the population; they were involved in such cases as the oppression and occupation of Ogoniland and MOSOP in the mid-1990s, as well as the Ijaw and Itsekiri conflicts in the latter portion of the decade.

[2] As part of the Internal Security Task Force deployed in Ogoniland, police funded by Shell opened fire on unarmed protesters, "killing one person and wounding several others".