>Photo: Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase
Ten policemen who were trained in counter-insurgency and
counter-terrorism in Belarus, are being detained in a military
facility at Gwagwalada, Abuja.
A detainee, who spoke with one of our correspondents on the condition
of anonymity on Thursday, said that the 10 policemen were detained on
April 20, 2015 for demanding explanation from the Army authorities on
the procedure for their conscription into the Army.
The policemen were expected to be drafted to Borno State for the
ongoing campaign against Boko Haram.
Investigations revealed that the affected policemen were among 96
policemen, who were taken for training in counter-terrorism,
counter-insurgency, handling of rocket propelled grenades, and machine
guns among others in the eastern European country.
In all, the 96 policemen, who were mostly rank and file, were trained
in three batches in Belarus in response to a memo from the office of
the National Security Adviser for the selection of policemen for the
three-month special security training.
It was learnt that the last batch of 32 police trainees, who departed
the country for Belarus in September arrived Nigeria in December and
were kept at the Nigerian Army Forward Operational Base for four
months.
The source said that the police delegation became worried because the
Force headquarters did not send any officer to debrief them while the
SSS contingent who were trained alongside the cops, were dispatched to
their various offices across the country.
It was gathered that the fears of the policemen were confirmed on
April 20, when soldiers drove six luxury buses and a military truck
loaded with Army kits to the base and ordered the policemen to enter
the buses for a journey to Jaji for further training.
An Army colonel, who briefed the policemen, reportedly told them that
they were going to be converted into the Army and then trained for
additional three week in Jaji for onward movement to Borno State to
participate in the ongoing onslaught against the Boko Haram.
It was further gathered that some of the policemen demanded to be
briefed by senior police officers on the seeming conversion as they
had not been briefed since they arrived the country from the foreign
training exercise.
The source said that the policemen were also not hinted on the plan
while they were in Belarus.
Investigation further revealed that the Army Officer, who was assigned
the duty to move the policemen to Jaji then asked those unwilling to
go to Jaji to step aside and ten of the policemen did.
The colonel, it was learnt, directed that the ten policemen be taken
to the Force headquarters Abuja in a military bus but were diverted by
a Captain to Kuje. They were later taken to Gwagwalada where they are
being detained.
The source said, "Sometimes around September, last year, the NSA
released a signal to the Force Headquarters to release policemen for
training in Belarus. The training involved the Army, the Air Force,
the Navy, the SSS and the Police.
"We went for training on counter training, body guards, snipers, RPG,
Machine gun operations and others.
"Immediately we returned from the course, the SSS were asked to go but
the three batches of policemen totalling 96 were asked to remain at
the Forward Operation Base. We completed the programme in December. We
as policemen were given passes to meet our family for a week or two
weeks and to return to the base.
"When we returned, nobody from the police came to address us; the NSA
did not come to address us. Instead, two colonels from the Army came
to tell us that they were still waiting for instructions and that they
did not know what they wanted to use us for.
"We were there till April 20, when six Marcopolo luxury came into the
premises with an Army truck loaded with Army kits. A colonel said that
we were to go to jaji for three weeks training for movement to
Maiduguri. All the 96 policemen are affected. The highest ranking
policemen among us are inspectors.
"When he requested for questions, some of the policemen now called his
attention to the fact that they are not soldiers but policemen and
they insisted that the police authorities must know where they are
taking them to."
"We were kitted in Belarus military uniform. The officer then asked us
to dress with the Army uniform and some of us said no, we are not
soldiers, we are policemen.
"We did that because we needed to be sure and thoroughly briefed by
our superiors from Force headquarters of the new development which
nobody did. We also did not want the police authorities to deny us and
deprive our families in case anything goes wrong.
--PUNCH
