Disu Secures US, Italian Offer To Train 5,000 Police Officers In Counter-Insurgency

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has secured an offer of specialised training for up to 5,000 police officers through a proposed security partnership involving Nigeria, the United States and Italy, as the country grapples with persistent insurgency, kidnapping and other security threats.

Training to cover intelligence, forensics, cybercrime, explosives detection and rural operations.

Proposals include command courses for 40 senior officers and training for 100 junior commanders.

No timeline yet for the start of the programme.

The proposed training, which emerged from Disu’s working visit to Italy, will prioritise counter-insurgency operations, intelligence gathering and tactical operations in difficult rural and forested environments.

According to a statement issued on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, the initiative is part of efforts to strengthen the operational capacity of the Nigeria Police Force through international cooperation, technology transfer and institutional development.

The training programme is expected to cover tactical operations, intelligence-led patrols, protection of critical infrastructure, digital and scientific forensics, cybercrime investigations, explosives detection, financial investigations, asset tracing and anti-extortion operations.

The proposed capacity-building programme will extend beyond the Police Mobile Force (PMF) to include other specialised units, particularly explosive ordnance disposal and forensic teams.

During the visit, Disu met with the Commander General of the Italian Carabinieri, Lieutenant-General Salvatore Luongo, to discuss technical assistance, specialised training and institutional cooperation between both countries.

The police chief also visited the Carabinieri Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) in Vicenza, where his delegation assessed training facilities and explored opportunities to adapt Italy’s specialised policing expertise to Nigeria’s security challenges.

Among the proposals discussed were command courses for 40 senior police officers and leadership training for 100 junior commanders.

The proposed partnership also includes deploying a mobile assistance team to support Police Mobile Force training schools in Gwoza, Borno State, and Ila-Orangun, Osun State.

Disu further sought Italian support for developing a national stability policing doctrine and standard operating procedures aimed at improving operational coordination, professionalism and civilian protection, particularly in communities recovering from conflict.

The discussions also covered possible cooperation in canine operations, forensic science and mounted policing, including horse breeding and local capacity development to support public order management.

To formalise the proposed cooperation, Disu proposed a memorandum of understanding covering specialised training, technology transfer and the development of operational doctrines.

He also invited a Carabinieri assessment team to Abuja to evaluate the needs of the police and develop practical implementation arrangements.

The proposed partnership comes amid persistent security challenges across Nigeria, including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, arms trafficking and attacks on rural communities.

The police leadership said the initiative is aimed at improving the force’s operational readiness, investigative capabilities and ability to protect lives and property.

However, the statement did not provide a timeline for the commencement of the proposed training programme or clarify the implementation arrangements for the offer to train 5,000 personnel.