Britain Trains 35 NDLEA Officers On Maritime Patrol

In a bid to improve Nigeria’s Maritime sector operations and encourage marine investment, the British government has embarked on training 35 officers of National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Marine Command and Seaports Operations
Organised by the United Kingdom Home Office International Operations (HOIO), the training, which lasted for two weeks, was anchored on Maritime Patrol and Tactical Coxswain training by the UK Central Maritime, Training Unit based in Southampton.
This was contained in a statement by NDLEA Spokesman, Femi Babafemi at the weekend.
“The training is to enhance the border control capabilities of the NDLEA by providing specialised training, mentoring and advanced drug detection equipment.
“Key areas covered so far include: boat handling, weapons handling, riverine operations, boarding and vessel search.
“Some of the trainings have been facilitated by the British Military, Nigerian Navy and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP)”, he said.
Babafemi continued that the training will enable them to plan maritime deployments, pursue, stop and board vessels on the high seas.
The Agency Spokesman thanked the UK government for its continued support and commitment in helping the NDLEA to enhance its capacity and capabilities to tackle drug trafficking
He urged the officers to remain steadfast in their professional calling and ensure they bring to bear the essence of the training on their formations and colleagues.
Babafemi assured them that NDLEA will continue to prioritise training and retraining for all officers, men and women of the Agency
Earlier, HOIO Regional Manager for West Africa, Kris Hawksfield, said the UK remains committed to strengthening the mutually beneficial work of the Agency to interdict, seize and destroy illicit substances and drugs which would otherwise harm Nigeria and the UK.
Hawksfield also said he was proud and honoured to work and support the work of NDLEA.

By: Chinedu Wosu