Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, has approved the continual training of personnel of the Nigeria Police Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD-CBRN) Command on the operation and maintenance of Mobile Detection System (MDS), in conjunction with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the US Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Smuggling, Detection, and Deterrence (NSDD).
This led to the organization of a two-week capacity building workshop for 30 EOD-CBRN officers, drawn from across the nation, recently in Lagos State.
Making this known on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, the acting Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that the fully-practical workshop, was part of the IGP’s continual effort at re-evaluating and re-strategizing performance levels in meeting core objectives of safeguarding the country against internal security threats, especially with regards to capacity building of personnel, in line with global best practices and standards.
The workshop also aimed at providing training and equipping EOD-CBRN personnel in the operation of MDS equipment (vans and handheld devices), enhancing the capacity of EOD-CBRN personnel in the detection of illicit trafficking of radioactive materials as well as secondary inspection techniques of officers.
It was also to reposition and build the capacity of the NPF EOD Command, expand CBRN’s focus and area of responsibility in line with emerging threats.
The IGP, while renaming the EOD Command as Explosive Ordnance Disposal-Chemical Biological Radiological, and Nuclear defence (EOD-CBRN), in line with the newly-approved Force Order 472, equally noted that the Command had received a total of five Mobile Detection System (MDS) vans with two spare parts and maintenance kits, three Radio-isotope Identification Devices (RIDs), three PackEye Radiation Detection Backpacks, three Radiation Survey Metres, and seven Sensor Technology Radiation Pagers.
The IGP had thereby directed that the equipment be strategically deployed to sensitive and critical infrastructural facilities and threatened areas in order to improve the nation’s nuclear security architecture in early detection, analysis and reporting of radioactive materials out of regulatory control.
The IGP, represented by the Commissioner of Police, EOD-CBRN, CP Zannah Shettima,, commended the laudable contribution of the US NSDD and assured that the skills and knowledge acquired would be put to good use in the collective fight against security threats, acts of terrorism and other criminal activities in the country.
