Nigeria Police Trust Fund has trained over 10,700 police officers since inception five years ago towards enhancing skills and performance of police officers in the country.
Speaking with journalists during the two-day management retreat, organized by the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) and coordinated by the office of the Permanent Secretary, Political Cabinet and Special Services, Kwara State Government House, Mrs. Oluyomi Esther, with the theme, “Building a secured Nigeria through effective NPTF Intervention for the Nigeria Police Force” in Ilorin on Thursday, the NPTF executive secretary, Mohammed Sheidu, said that training and retraining of police officers is imperative and key to strengthening Nigeria Police Force.
Sheidu also said that 1,300 police officers were trained in his first 100 days of being in office, adding that, “we expand and plan to increase that number subsequently”.
“One of the mandates of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund is enhancing capacity and capabilities of police officers.
“So, one of the things we do is to train and retrain police officers. We’re concerned with how we can increase our training capabilities nationwide.
“This means that training institutions are needed to be upgraded and brought back to world standard.
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“Also, we are concerned with how we can also increase curriculum of the training programme based on what we are dealing with crime-wise in the country like cybercrime”, he said.
The NPTF executive secretary, who lamented the ongoing court case challenging its operational funding with the 0.5 per cent derivation from the Federal Allocation, said that the court litigation has hindered its optimal performance.
He said though training and retraining of Police officers and men are the cardinal concern of the fund, the court case has in no small means affected the rapid realization of that.
“Our major challenge is funding as we all know there is a court case challenging the 0.5 per cent FAAC allocation and so one of the major issues we have is resources and that has to do with funding”, he said.
In his speech, delivered by the senior special assistant to the Kwara state governor on Security, Alhaji Muhideen Aliyu, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq said that the country, with the support of the NPTF, can enhance capacity of the police to respond to emerging security challenges, promote community policing and improve the overall security architecture in Kwara state.
The governor, who said that Kwara state is yet to enjoy much benefits from the NPTF, thus requested intervention of the NPTF in the rehabilitation of police training School, Ilorin as well as in upgrading of the training facilities to enhance capacity of police personnel.
The governor also called for rehabilitation of the Police Command Headquarters and some selected Divisional Police Offices, construction of accommodation facilities, provision of operational vehicles, construction of additional Police Divisions across the three senatorial districts of Kwara State, while he requested the NPTF to patronize Kwara Garment Factory for the production of Police uniforms.
Speaking earlier, the Kwara State Police Commissioner, Victor Olaiya, who applauded the disposition of the fund and its management wondered where the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) would have been without the fund.
Olaiya also wanted more armoured vests (bullet proofs), walkie talkies, and other security gadgets for policemen in Nigeria. He also requested for two Amoured Personnel Carriers (APC) from the fund for his command to enhance improved security.
According to him, the only one in the state is situated in Offa following the 2018 infamous bank robbery attack.
Olaiya, in his goodwill message disclosed that the two APCs being sought will be in the command and the Mobile Police Force base.
He, however, rallied supports for the Fund for its contribution to the improvement of the Police which he said aided community policing.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
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