On Sunday, members of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army successfully completed the training of forty security guards for the purpose of bolstering safety at an internally displaced persons camp located in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
According to Major General Shauib Waidi, the General Officer Commanding of the Division, the purpose of the measure was to close any security breaches that existed in the camp.
He stated that there were around 30,000 people living in this camp. When Boko Haram were trying to infiltrate the camp, a number of different activities were taking place at the same time.
"We had the feeling that we needed a locally grown security response like this one, which was specifically built to secure the camp," you could say.
The General Officer Commanding, who was represented by the Commander of 195 Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Agbo Solomon, stated that the security guards had received extensive training on the handling of small guns, with an emphasis on safety and protection.
He went on to say that they had also received instruction in unarmed warfare, how to disarm their opponents during attacks, and how to protect themselves utilising a variety of other physical fighting techniques.
"They are similarly schooled in intelligence gathering, including how to process and relay information via the right channels using their own inputs,"
"They have also been trained on how to respond to fire incidents, which occur on an annual basis in this camp that is housing approximately 30,000 persons," he added. "This camp is housing approximately 30,000 people."
It was claimed by Wudil that the project would strengthen civil-military connections and encourage the population that was being hosted to take an active role in the process of safeguarding their region.
The GOC urged the IDPs to remain vigilant about their safety and to alert the appropriate authorities whenever they became aware of any suspicious movement or unusual activity that would threaten the fragile peace that had been maintained.
During his remarks, Borno's Commissioner for Youth and Sport, Seina Buba, praised the work of the Joint Task Force (JTF), which is comprised of members from both the Army and the Civilian JTF. The goal of the JTF is to bring about permanent peace in the state.
Buba stated that the effort would be implemented in other camps located throughout the state in order to provide the IDPs with a higher level of protection.
He stated that the government of the state was striving to close down all of the IDP camps that were located within the state so that people may go back to their home towns.
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