The Federal Government is considering the establishment of a
National Guard to professionally address emerging security threats and
emergencies in the country.
The Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman
Dambazau, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja when the Adjutant General of the
California National Guard, U.S paid him a courtesy visit.
The National Guard is a security outfit established to
tackle national security threats and emergencies like it’s obtained in the
U.S.
The minister, however, stressed that a lot of consultations
would be done with all stakeholders before any decision is taken in that
regard.
He recalled that several years ago, the government had
planned the establishment of a National Guard, but the idea did not come to
fruition due to a number of challenges.
Dambazau explained that the National Guard would help to
fill the gap between the operations of the Military and the Nigerian Police in
tackling security challenges and emergencies.
He said that the military is becoming increasingly involved
in dealing with some security threats in the country which is outside their
constitutional mandate while the Police might be overstretched in dealing with
such issues.
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He said Nigeria will continue to collaborate with the
International community, including sharing experiences with the U.S Army in the
training of Nigeria’s security personnel.
He said that the visit of U.S military officials would help
strengthen the cordial relationship between both countries, especially as
regards security.
Earlier, the adjutant general, Maj.-Gen. David Baldwin said
that they were in Nigeria to foster a partnership between both countries.
He said that California as one of the biggest states in the
U.S had its own National Guard which is responsible for security and emergencies.
He said the California National Guard will be involved in
the training of Nigeria’s security agencies under the Ministry of Interior such
as the Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Fire Service, NSCDC and Prisons to
deal with security challenges/emergencies.
Baldwin said that the training is designed for two to three
years to equip the security personnel with modern trend in security and
emergency operations.
On the establishment of a National Guard in Nigeria, he said
that it was up to the Nigerian government to decide the veracity and modalities
for the establishment of any security outfit.
He, however, said the National Guard is a very strategic and
cost effective outfit that has helped the U.S in tackling security challenges
and emergencies such as flood, fire, and other natural disasters.
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