US Sign Agreement On Training Of Nigerian Police

In a bid to ensure that the Nigeria Police is well equipped and trained to carry out their law enforcement responsibilities, the United States government and Nigerian federal government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, on a training modernization project for the Nigeria Police Force.

* US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle

According to a statement released on Wednesday, 23 July, 2014, by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, INL, the collaboration between the NPF and INL on the training project is intended to add another set of instruments to the law enforcement toolkit available to the police in Nigeria.

“This MOU represents our two governments’ mutual commitment to engagement on institutional reforms at the NPF training academies,” James Entwistle, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria said in prepared remarks made available to P.M.NEWS.

Entwistle further stated that the goal of the project is to provide modernization enhancements to the NPF’s training curriculum for a well-trained police force.

The ambassador added that the move would also ensure that the NPF is dedicated to the highest ethical standards, proficient in law enforcement, preventing and detecting crime, preserving the peace, and protecting citizens’ rights.

He explained that the training of law enforcement officers is important and should be continuous.

“We are endeavouring to better equip the NPF to carry out its duties because of the importance of the police in a democracy,” he said.

Entwistle said the police are important in a democracy because they protect the people and are those willing to respond to every crisis.

It would be recalled that the Nigerian police and the entire military have been criticised for not well trained and enough equipment to meet the current terrorism challenges in the country.

* Nigerian Policemen in training

Many critics, both home and abroad, have called on the President Goodluck Jonathan led federal government to do more than is presently doing to fight Islamists militants group, Boko Haram who have been perpetrating terror attack across Nigeria.

According to United Nations report, the insurgents group have killed more than 4,000 people since 2009.

Only on July 23, Wednesday, the militants detonated twin bomb blasts in Kaduna, northern Nigeria. No fewer than 80 people were confirmed by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to have lost their lives in the attack.

Also on Thursday, 24 July, 2014, a bomb explosion was said to have left many people dead in Kano, Northern Nigeria.

As at the time of compiling this report, the number of casualties is still unknown and no group has claimed responsibility for the Kaduna and Kano attacks.