Britain to spend ₤50 million improving Nigerian security

The British government is to spend 50 million pounds (equivalent N12.6 billion) to improve security in Nigeria, said the National Programme Manager of Justice for All Initiative, Bob Arnot.

Speaking at the Justice for All (J4A) and Nigeria Police Force (NPF) technical working group induction workshop weekend in Abuja, Arnot said the UK government is planning to increase the initial 30 million pounds budget to 50 million pounds within the five years earmarked for the programme.

He said the programme was intended to facilitate changes in law enforcement and the judiciary. "Since 2010, we have been working on this new programme, we are trying to facilitate change in institutions like the NPF, which people within those institutions already know is necessary, " he said.

He said the programme would also assist the NPF to strategize changes and developments in four component areas; community policing by creating model police stations, planning with all the departments at police head quarters to achieve desired objectives, helping the NPF to be more accountable to the public, and working with vigilante groups to ensure they work within the ambit of the law.

Speaking at the forum, Professor Olu Ogunsakin, a lead consultant on policing service said: "The programme is to assist the police in developing internal processes and building new sets of relationships with the community.

"The objective of the British council initiative is to assist the NPF to become a world class police organization," he said.

Deputy Police Commissioner in charge of community policing Austin Ewar said the programme was structured to key into current security challenges; developing new policing strategies and management system to enable the police meet its mandate.

The Justice for All programme is sponsored by UK aid from the Department of International Development (DFID).

Daily Trust

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