Bothered about poor security at the Nigerian borders, which may have contributed to the influx of small arms and light weapons, SALW used by non-state actors to terrorise the country, EU, through its, ECOWAS Commission partners, and the Leadership Initiative for Transformation and Empowerment (LITE-Africa). has organised capacity building training for the military, police and para-military agencies operating at the borders.
The training which took place recently at Gusau, Zamfara state capital, was aimed at equipping the security operatives in the north with Modern Methods and strategies of Border Management (Air, Land & Sea) as well as strategies of collaborative policing, intelligence/information gathering and sharing. In his opening remark, Hon. Joel Bisina, the Executive Director of LITE Africa stated that “this training will enable the security officers to manage more effectively and efficiently the borders where they work and stem the flow of small arms and light weapons.”
Hon. Joel Bisina. who facilitated the training on behalf of Lite Africa informed this publication that the training was the second leg of Capacity Building Training on Border Management and Security targeted at Security and Law Enforcement Agencies in Nigeria, adding that the first stream was held earlier in the six geo-political Zones of Nigeria between September and November 2020. .He noted that the training was organised as one of the key components of the European Union’s programme of assistance to the Government of Nigeria via the ECOWAS Commission known as the. Management of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Nigeria or the ECOWAS/EU Small Arms Project.
The initiative, which is mainly a “Pilot Community Weapons Collection Programme”, is an initiative of the ECOWAS Commission, funded by the European Union under the “EU support to ECOWAS Peace, Security and Stability Mandate (ECOWAS-EU PSS Programme)” within the broader context of “Disarmament and Community Development” or ‘Weapons for Development”. The 7 countries involved in this pilot phase are Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Niger and Mali.
The Nigerian Component of this initiative is being implemented by the Presidential Committee on Small Arms & Light Weapons (PRESCOM) and the Leadership Initiative for Transformation and Empowerment (LITE-Africa).
The participants commended LITE AFRICA for the training, saying promising to apply the knowledge gained in their security works.
At the end of the training, Border Security Agencies were equipped with skills on the following:
Effective Communication Strategy for awareness creation and sensitization of rural/border communities;
Strategy for Confidence Building and Synergy between Security Agencies and Border Communities; Interpersonal relationship between border security agencies and host communities.
Modern Methods of Border Management (Air, Land & Sea) Techniques & Strategies and peer review mechanisms
Strategies of collaborative policing, intelligence/information gathering & sharing;
Methods and techniques of Arms Smuggling;
Methods and techniques of Human Trafficking;
Methods and techniques of Drug Trafficking;
Creating awareness on the implication of illicit manufacturing of SALW within and around border communities
Understanding Global Standards & instruments on SALWs Control;
The project is part of the ECOWAS Commission’s strategic support to the ongoing effort of the Nigerian Government in fighting against insurgencies, banditry, other crimes and criminalities in the country, Tolu stated..
