Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, Head of EU delegation to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to the Economic community of West African states, who spoke on behalf of the EU delegation, lamented that numerous security challenges were bedeviling Nigeria.
While noting that kidnapping was one of the prominent issues in the country, he stressed that all the regions of the federation had their peculiar security challenges.
He said safety of lives and property of Nigerian citizens and Europeans in Nigeria was of concern to the EU.
Karlsen said the EU had been working with the Police for a while in several areas and will continue to do so but added that Nigerian solution to Nigerian problems was better.
While charging the minister to find solutions to the security challenges in the country, Karlsen expressed optimism that the minister was capable of restoring security in the country going by his rich experience.
Earlier, the delegation from the USA, led by the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Nigeria, Kathleen FitzGibbon, said they were at the ministry to find out what the plans of the minster was in reforming the Police.
FitzGibbon, who spoke on behalf of the team, said “we are hearing a lot about Police reform, we want to hear what that might look like, going forward.”
Responding, the minister acknowledged that the US and EU were important partners of the Police, assuring that the ministry was ready to work with them to improve security in Nigeria.
Dingyadi, who noted that the level of insecurity in Nigeria had been a serious challenge to the government, said “we welcome whatever supports from the EU because we believe you have a lot to offer.”
The Minister said the present government decided to reestablish the Ministry of Police Affairs as a measure to reposition the Police in the face of numerous security challenges in the country.
He assured the EU and US that the police will be restructured and well equipped to measure up to international standard in no distant time.
