Over 13, 000 officers have been deployed by the Nigerian Police Force, for peacekeeping missions at the United Nations, African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, disclosed this in a statement on Friday by the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi.
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.
The police also went beyond the deploying of personnel, they had also contributed material assets for peacekeeping operations all around the world towards enforcing and maintaining peace in Africa and other countries of the world.
Alkali was quoted as having said this during the appointment of ACP Augustine Jagaba as the director in charge of the peacekeeping directorate.
The statement added, “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 13,000 police officers to various UN/AU and ECOWAS peacekeeping operations.”
further added that the IGP charged the new director to strictly uphold the tenets of the Nigeria Police in peacekeeping selection, training, and deployments while reinforcing the various positive achievements that had been recorded over the years.
