Police key to regional peace, stability – IGP

By Our correspondent

Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, has said that the Nigeria Police Force was the key agency in ensuring sustainable African regional stability and peace.
Idris stated this on Tuesday at the West Africa National Security Conference, holding at Accra, Ghana.
The IGP delivered a paper entitled: “The Role of Nigeria Police in National Security and its Contributions in West Africa.”
The said: The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Nigeria Police Force, has made tremendous contributions to stability and peace in the African Regional Block, ECOWAS and also under the United Nations Mandate.

“In 2005, under the United Nations Mandate, the Nigeria Police Force deployed for the first time in the history of the world, the first ever FPU Unit to a United Nations Mission from an African Country to United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
“This Unit, which is still stationed in Liberia, has been involved in stabilising the country since its return to democratic rule in 2005.”
Idris further said Nigeria’s contribution to the stability in Liberia was not only limited to the deployment of Formed Police Unit (FPU), in early 2005, few months before the general election that ushered the government of Ellen Sirleaf.
“Myself as the mission operation coordinator in United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) together with Malam Mohammed Alhassan of Ghana the UNMIL commissioner met with General Abdulsalamin Abubakar the then ECOWAS peace mediator to UNMIL to facilitate the Nigeria government support to train some Liberia National Police to cover some critical aspects of the election.”

The police boss added that Nigerian Government granted their request and the mission deployed 250 Liberian National Police Officers to Police Training School in Goza, Borno state, for two months course on Special Police Training Operations Course.
“Another tremendous support by the Nigerian government to peace and stability in West Africa was the response provided by the Nigerian Government during the destabilising Military intervention in Guinea Bissau.
“As of today, the Nigerian government, through the Nigeria Police, has continued to deploy three Police Advisors to Guinea Bissau to support its Police Force in capacity development.”

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