The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) have pledged to strengthen collaboration between the two agencies ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Olatunji Disu and the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke said this on Wednesday in Abuja.
The heads of the two agencies spoke during a courtesy visit to the I-G by a delegation from the NAF led by the CAS.
Disu commended the delegation for the visit, adding that the two agencies had over the years, enjoyed good working relationship in the areas of training, intelligence and information sharing
“We need to look into furthering the relationship of our junior officers by bringing them to study together, do sports together and train together
“We have a lot of courses that we’ll be inviting you to bring your officers to join and I plead that you call us to join you in your school of intelligence too.
“The idea is for us to be able to cross-fertilise ideas to provide the needed security in the country,” he said.
According to him, the two bodies have been sharing intelligence and a lot of times the police have called the Airfoce to assist it in air operations because of the kind of insecurity in the country.
The I-G said the 2027 general election was an important assignment that would require strengthening of collaboration and information sharing among personnel of the two agencies.
“Yes, the Nigerian Police Force is the lead team when it comes to election but we cannot go it alone.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank you for the assistance NAF offered to the Nigerian Police Force during the last governorship election in Osun.
“The officers worked together, collaborated, made friends, and shared intelligence that assisted them to do a lot of operation together.
“We look forward to working together to strengthen our intelligence and information sharing ahead of the coming election,” he said.
Earlier, the CAS said the visit highlights the ongoing partnership and reflects the shared goals of the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Police Force in keeping the nation safe.
He said the two agencies had over the years, worked together to address national security threats ranging from joint internal operations to anti-banditry campaigns.
“I would like to sincerely thank the Nigeria Police Force, particularly the police air wing, who is in the same business with us, for their support during a challenging period for the Nigerian Air Force.
“You may recall that in August 2023, following the crash of one of our MI-17 helicopters, the Police Air Wing promptly deployed two bail helicopters to assist with casualty evacuations.
“There is a saying that says, it is when you are in a tight corner and you are in need, you know who your friends are,” he said.
Aneke said the 2027 general election would serve as a crucial test for security agencies, adding that enhancing collaboration and open information sharing was very essential.
He said the idea was to ensure that elections were secured with citizens protected and the process remains peaceful.
The NAF boss said continuous work was vital, adding that police implementation of the command and control system for election monitoring was a significant step to provide real-time updates. (NAN
