Minister meets UK defence collge team, expresses commitment to internal security

THE Federal Government has restated its commitment to protecting lives and property of the citizens of the country which is the primary responsibility of government.

Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazzau, (retd), expressed this resolve in Abuja when he received the Royal College of Defence Studies Tour team on a study tour of West Africa.

He told the tour team that the Ministry of Interior, with the mandate of maintaining public safety and internal security, has been involved in post-conflict peace-building in the North-East, following the defeat of Boko Haram.

He said that part of the master plan for boosting the internal security architecture of the country included the establishment of good communication, community policing, whereby citizens are encouraged to be involved.

Dambazzau said the Federal Government had built the capacity of the Police for maximal functioning; and the establishment of a Multi-Agency Situation Room aimed at integrating the various services in a common purpose of monitoring and providing information on activities in the cities real time.

The minister, however, lamented over the proliferation of small arms and light weapon, Niger Delta militancy, which he said posed security threat to the nation.

He noted that Nigeria was also faced with ecological challenges, giving rise to desertification, and invariably leading to migration of humans and livestock.

He added that Nigeria had agreed on joint operations with the United Kingdom on investigations, sharing of information and intelligence, and airport liaison, while the UK is providing technical assistance on equipment and forensic analysis.