New Telegraph

Bilateral cooperation needed to combat regional security threats –IGP

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Usman Baba, has underscored the urgent need for bilateral cooperation in Africa, as part of measures to tackle threats to regional security. The IGP gave the charge, Tuesday, at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)/Cooperation Agreement between the Nigeria Police and their Sierra Leonean counterparts, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

According to Usman, the MoU was “a clear statement on the commitment of the Nigerian and Sierra Leonean authorities to boost bilateral cooperation and strengthen the transnational police network as a strategic approach that is directed at addressing national and regional security challenges”. Baba further noted that the visit of the delegation from Sierra Leone: “Marks another collaborative milestone in our common efforts to enhance the professional capacity of officers of the Police Forces in both countries, especially, at strategic leadership level.” While reiterating the dynamic nature of crime, the police chief said it is increasingly transnational, both in its planning, perfection and execution.

“The impact of crime also resonates beyond the borders where it is committed. Hence, it is only through bilateral police cooperation of this nature that nations can successfully confront regional and indeed, global security threats. “The Nigeria Police values the relationship it enjoys with other law enforcement partners within the West African region,” the IGP said.

It was against this backdrop, that he pledged the readiness of the Force to sustain collaboration with her Sierra Leonean counterpart, while “supporting them in the area of training and capacity building at all levels”. Earlier, leader of the delegation and Inspector General of the Sierra Leonean Police, Dr. Ambrose Sovula, recalled the relationship between Nigeria and his country, which he noted, dates back to the abolition of slave trade. Specifically, Sovula recalled, with appreciation, the role Nigeria-led ECOMOG played in the 1990s, when the country was embroiled in one of the worst civil wars. “Most recently, in the 1990s, when Sierra Leone was fighting one of the brutal civil wars in human history, Nigeria-led ECOMOG intervened and brought sanity to the country”, Sovula said. Among other members of the delegation led by Sovula was the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. David Noah.

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