Nigerian Formed Police Officers receive medals in recognition of their
contribution to AMISOM
The African Union Mission in Somalia
(AMISOM) in conjunction with the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) held a
medal parade at Mogadishu Stadium in appreciation of the contribution
made by officers and men of the Nigerian Contingent of the AMISOM
Formed Police Units who are about to complete their tour of duty .
140 officers and men from the Nigerian Contingent of the AMISOM Formed
Police Unit were decorated with medals by Col. Timothy Kiguti (rtd)
assisted by the Assistant Inspector General of the Nigerian Police
Force (NPF), Mr. Danazumi Doma in recognition of their outstanding
performance and committed service to the African Union Mission in
Somalia. Mr. Doma while congratulating the officers and men for
successfully serving in the AU Mission in Somalia reaffirmed the
commitment of the Nigerian Government to peace in Africa.
“The Nigerian Government as a member of the African Union is committed
to peace and stability on the continent in general and Somalia in
particular. Our deployment of both Formed and Individual Police
Officers is a clear testimony of our strong commitment to peace not
only in Somalia but also the entire continent.” He said.
The Nigerian Formed Police Officers alongside their colleagues from
Uganda were deployed in Somalia last year to form the first deployment
of Formed Police Units in the peacekeeping history of the African
Union.
Speaking on behalf of the Special Representative of the Chairperson of
the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, the AMISOM Chief
Administrative Officer, Colonel (rtd) Timothy Kiguti expressed
appreciation to the Nigerian Government for its continued support to
peace in Somalia and the police component of AMISOM in particular.
“Your country’s commitment to the stability of Somalia and the
restoration of rule of law cannot be over-emphasized. We recall with
appreciation that in 2010, Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone were the
first countries on the African Continent to contribute Individual
Police Officers (IPOs) to the AU mission in Somalia. Their deployment
marked a significant milestone towards the long journey of efforts to
restore the rule of law in Somalia. “Further history was made in the
same year when the IPOs were first deployed in Mogadishu at the height
of intense fighting in Mogadishu where at that time, AMISOM and the
Somali Government only controlled 30% of Mogadishu.” He said.
Colonel Kiguti extended the Head of Mission’s appreciation and that of
the African Union to all donors and partners particularly the European
Union, the governments of Italy, German and Japan for the material and
financial support provided to the Police Component of AMISOM.
Comments are closed.