The Nigeria Police say it has deployed over 13, 000 officers to peacekeeping missions in the United Nations, African Union and the Economic Community of West African States.
The police also said in addition to its personnel deployed under the UN, AU and ECOWAS, it had also contributed material assets to peacekeeping operations all around the world towards enforcing and maintaining peace in Africa and other countries of the world.
Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali disclosed this in a statement on Friday by Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi.
The statement quoted the IGP to have spoken during the appointment of ACP Augustine Jagaba as Director in charge of the Peacekeeping Directorate.
The statement, which quoted the police boss, partly read, “Since its first participation in Peacekeeping in 1960 with the deployment of a contingent to Congo, the list of countries with police peacekeepers is now endless. Nigeria Police peacekeepers have participated in operations in Congo, Namibia, Angola, Western Sahara, Cambodia, Mozambique, Somalia, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, East Timor, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Afghanistan, Cote D’Ivoire, Burundi, Haiti, Sudan, South Sudan and Guinea Bissau to mention but a few.
“The Nigeria Police has deployed more than thirteen thousand (13,000) police officers to various UN/AU and ECOWAS peacekeeping operations.
“The Nigeria Police Peacekeeping office was established in 2005 to coordinate peacekeeping activities with the clear vision and mission to research, train and equip officers with requisite skills and competencies required to meet complex peace support operations environment through the delivery of quality internationally recognized and professional training. Nigeria Police Officers have made tremendous achievements while on peacekeeping abroad and clinched glory for the Force and the country at large.”
It further stated that the IGP charged the new Director to strictly uphold the tenets of the Nigeria Police in peacekeeping selection, training, deployments while reinforcing the various positive achievements that had been recorded over the years.
“The IGP further admonished the Director to domesticate standards and principles of modern policing via-a-vis training of police officers, review of Standard Operating Procedures, Baton and Rifles Exercises, musketry, range practices, unarmed combat, etc. to boost quality service delivery of the NPF in maintaining law and order, and public safety in Nigeria,” it added.