The Nigeria Police Force has deployed over 13, 000 officers for peacekeeping missions at the United Nations, African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, said this in a statement on Friday by the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi.
He 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.”
It 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.
The police also said beyond personnel, they had contributed material assets for peacekeeping operations all around the world towards enforcing and maintaining peace in Africa and other countries of the world.