Not less than 160 officers of the Nigeria Police Force have been awarded medals by the Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for their selfless and meritorious services in the country.
The officers, who received the medals on Thursday 9th January, 2019 after the completion of a year-long tour of duty in Somalia, were tasked with providing escort and protection services; assisting the Somali Police Force (SPF) in public order management; training the SPF in public order management.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (DSRCC) for Somalia, Simon Mulongo, commended the officers for their selfless sacrifice to help rebuild the Somali Police Force and also hailed the government of Nigeria for allowing the police officers to serve in Somalia.
“You should go down in the annals of history of the African Union and also the history of the Nigeria Police Force as an outstanding team,” he said.
“The officers of the Formed Police Unit (FPU)—the eighth contingent from Nigeria to be deployed in Somalia under AMISOM since 2012— would be remembered for “renaissance and reinvigoration of AMISOM dynamism” in carrying out offensive operations and building the capacity of Somali Security Forces in 2019 and 2020, and for leaving behind a “footprint and signature that will be remembered eternally,” he added.
“Today we can boast of a Police of Somalia that is capable of undertaking activities and tasks that they had never done before,” he noted.
Apart from deploying its officers to serve in Somalia, Mulongo said Nigeria had played a pivotal role leading to the formation of the African Peace and Security Architecture and had also championed peace and security initiatives on the continent.
At the event was the AMISOM Police Commissioner, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP), Augustine Magnus Kailie who praised the outgoing officers for helping build and transform the Somali Police Force into an institution capable of enforcing law and order.
“I have noted with delight that while performing these duties, members of this unit have been exemplary, diligent, committed and dedicated in the selfless service to humanity and the achievement of peace in Somalia,” Kailie said.
