The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has advanced efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture through a proposed trilateral partnership involving Nigeria, the United States and Italy, targeting specialised training for up to 5,000 police personnel.
The initiative, discussed during Disu’s working visit to Italy, focuses on improving counter-insurgency operations, intelligence gathering, tactical response and institutional capacity to tackle terrorism, kidnapping, arms trafficking and other security threats.
A major component is specialised training in counter-insurgency and operations in difficult rural and forested terrain, alongside digital and scientific forensics, cybercrime investigation, explosives detection, financial investigations, asset tracing and anti-extortion techniques.
At a meeting with the Commander General of the Italian Carabinieri, Lieutenant-General Salvatore Luongo, Disu explored opportunities for technical assistance, technology transfer and institutional cooperation.
The police delegation also visited the Carabinieri Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) in Vicenza, where discussions included command training for 40 senior officers, leadership development for 100 junior commanders and a mobile assistance team to support Police Mobile Force (PMF) training schools in Gwoza and Ila-Orangun.
Other areas of cooperation include developing Nigeria’s stability policing doctrine and operational procedures, strengthening forensic capabilities, canine operations and mounted policing.
To advance the proposals, Disu called for a memorandum of understanding covering training, technology transfer and operational doctrine, while inviting a Carabinieri assessment team to Abuja to identify priority needs and develop an implementation framework.
The proposed partnership is expected to strengthen police operational readiness, improve investigative capabilities and enhance the Force’s capacity to protect lives and property.
