The Federal Government is weighing the possibility of establishing a National Guard to professionally address emerging security threats and emergencies in the country.
Nigeria’s interior minister, Abdulrahman Dambazau disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja when the Adjutant General of the California National Guard, U.S paid him a courtesy visit.
The National Guard is a security outfit established to tackle national security threats and emergencies as obtained in the United States.
Mr Dambazau however, said a lot of consultations would be done with all stakeholders before any decision is taken.
He recalled that several years ago, the government had planned the establishment of a National Guard, but the idea did not come to fruition due to a number of challenges.
Mr Dambazau, a retired lieutenant general, explained that the National Guard would help to fill the gap between the operations of the Military and the Nigerian Police in tackling security challenges and emergencies.
“The military is becoming increasingly involved in dealing with some security threats in the country which is outside their constitutional mandate while the police might be overstretched in dealing with such issues,” he said.
He said Nigeria would continue to collaborate with the International community, including sharing experiences with the U.S Army in the training of Nigeria’s security personnel.
The visit of U.S military officials, Mr Dambazau, would help strengthen the cordial relationship between both countries, especially as regards security.
The U.S adjutant general, Major General David Baldwin earlier said that they were in Nigeria to foster a partnership between both countries.
He said that California, as one of the biggest states in the U.S, had its own National Guard like other states which is responsible for security and emergencies.
Mr Baldwin told the minister that the California National Guard will be involved in the training of Nigeria’s security agencies under the Ministry of Interior such as the Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Fire Service, NSCDC and Prisons to deal with security challenges/emergencies.
He said the training is designed for two to three years to equip the security personnel with modern trend in security and emergency operations.
On the establishment of a National Guard in Nigeria, he said it was up to the Nigerian government to decide the veracity and modalities for the establishment of any security outfit.
