Insurgency: British security experts in Nigeria to train policemen

Some British security experts have arrived the country to provide expertise training for men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force across the country.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on the Special Weapon and Arms Training (SWAT) for the first batch of policemen at the Mobile Police Training College, Ila-Orangun, Osun State, the college’s commandant, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dankwara Mohammed, said the programme was timely, particularly with the Muhammadu Buhari administration renewed effort to put total end to the Boko Haram insurgency and other insecurity challenges facing the nation.

He said the force was collaborating with the foreign security experts under the aegis of IBT Associates Limited, a consultancy firm, which is  in  partnership with Field Security Services.

Mohammed further said the special training programme, which would hold in batches, was designed for  all the men and officers, cutting across the rank and file of the force.

He said the training would comprise a combined unit of counter-terrorism, the close protection unit and the anti-bomb, among others.

He praised  the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, for the initiative which, he said, would upgrade men and officers of the force.

He said the training, no doubt, would reposition the force to tackle rising crimes in the country and make its men be in control to crack the Boko Haram insurgents, kidnappers, armed robbers and other violent criminals in the country.

He said:“The SWAT is a programme for most responsive action initiated by the British and American police. The Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, considered it necessary to upgrade the combat readiness initiative for the members of the force.”

Mohammed said the training programme would take four weeks for each batch of participants, adding that the first batch had been inaugurated on July 29.

The commandant advised the participants to take the programme serious for effective result, warning them against malingering and to obey the college rules and to maintain discipline throughout the duration of the programme.

He urged them to consider themselves lucky and privileged as the elite of the Nigeria Police to be trained by the British police officers.

While speaking further on the nature of the programme, the commandant said: “As soon as members of the first squad who are currently in training finish the programme, another squad would fall in immediately. Each squad is traditionally 63 in number. It is a continuous training programme. Possibly, all the police officers from the rank of inspector will be trained. That is the target of the IGP.”