Molly Kilete, Abuja

The Nigerian Police Force has signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU), with the Sierra Leone police on training of senior Police officers in Nigeria for Optimal Performance.
The Inspector-General of Police, (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba signed on behalf of the Nigerian police while his Sierra Leone counterpart Dr. Ambrose Michael Sovula signed on behalf of his country on Tuesday during a courtesy visit on the IGP at the police force headquarters in Abuja.
In his address at the occasion the Sierra Leone Police Chief, Dr Ambrose Michael Sovula while noting the relationship between the two countries since inception after the abolition of slave trade globally, said that Nigeria had played a prominent role in the liberation of most African countries from colonial rule by Europeans and lauded leadership   role played by Nigeria during the period
He said most of the liberated people of  Africa, especially Nigerians were   still residing in Fourah Bay and Fullah in Sierra Leone and also lauded role played by ECOMOG in Liberia and other nations political crisis.
He said, “most recently, in the1990s when Sierra Leone was fighting one of the brutal civil wars in human history,  Nigeria led ECOMOG intervened and brought sanity to the country. In the process, so many lost their lives

“I know that five Sierra Leone Police officers came to Nigeria for cadet course at Jos in Nigeria. Those officers later became an asset to our organization.”

Sovula who commended the IGP on the training of ten senior Police officers from Sierra Leone by the Nigeria Police Force at the National  Institute of Police Studies Abuja, said that the main objective of the  cooperation agreement was to strengthen cooperation in the area of capacity building and exchange programmes between the two organizations for the Police officers.

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He also commended the support and cooperation of the IGP and his team on the training saying the training was a worthy one as most of the Officers were today holding strategic position in the Sieria Leone Police Force

Welcoming the delegation to his office, the IGP’ said the visit would further strengthen transnational Police network as strategic approach that would be directed at addressing national and region challenges.

The IGP while noting that the MoU, was a collaborative milestone in the effort of leaders in both countries to enhance the professional capacity of Police officers, said that crime was dynamic and resonates beyound where it was being Committed adding that the visit was a clear statement on the commitment of the Nigerian and Sierra Leone authorities to boost bilateral cooperation.
Also speaking, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Sierra Leone Mr David Panda Noah said the cooperation between the two countries would go a long way in tackling crimes.