British security experts begin training Nigerian Police Force on anti-terrorism measures

BRITISH security experts have arrived in Nigeria to provide training for the men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force as part of the country's commitment to assisting in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists.

Since the Boko Haram menace became a global phenomenon with the abduction of the Chibok girls, several countries have offered to help Nigeria fight the scourge. US military officials have offered to supply intelligence and training and President Muhammadu Buhari recently got a pledge from the Americans that they would supply the Nigerian Army with hardware.

Keen to offer some support too, the UK is offering to train the Nigerian police and has already begun a series of intensive courses. 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 (ACP) Dankwara Mohammed, said the programme was timely.

He said the force was collaborating with the foreign security experts under the aegis of IBT Associates, a consultancy firm, which is in partnership with Field Security Services. ACP Mohammed added that 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 squad among others. ACP Mohammed praised the Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase, for the initiative which, he said, would upgrade men and officers of the force.

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

ACP Mohammed said: “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.”

He advised the participants to take the programme serious for effective results, warning them against malingering and urged them to obey the college rules and maintain discipline throughout the duration of the programme. ACP Mohammed said the participants should consider themselves lucky and privileged as the elite of the Nigeria Police to be trained by British police officers.

“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 and it is a continuous training programme, so possibly, all the police officers from the rank of inspector will be trained," ACP Mohammed added.