MARITIME SECURITY: Ports Police sets to revive EOD, K9 units

Both moribund Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) and Canine (K9) or Dog units of the Ports Authority Police Command (PAPC), Nigera Police Force (NPF), are to be given a new lease of much-nededed life in the efforts to meet current security challenges and make the nation’s maritime environment safer for legitimate businesses to thrive.
This was the refrain in the separate addresses of the new Commissioner of Police, Ports Authority Police Command (PAPC), Mrs. Sherifat Disu Olajoku, when she paid a courtesy visit to the Freight Forwarders Village National Headquarters of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), and the International Maritime Press Centre of the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN), respectively, both in Apapa Lagos.
Olajoku at both locations disclosed that she is strategising on reviving the PAPC’s dormant K9 Section for effective patrols to deter undesirables from entering the ports.

“There are other sections that are not known to people in the Police Force that I want to bring up. We have a Bomb Disposal Section under the Ports Police Command, I want to make sure that they are visible and they are to do more work than what they are doing today. We have the Canine Section, which is the Dog Section, I want to bring that up so that it works more on the aspect of crime prevention at the ports,” she stated.
The PAPC boss, who spoke extempore at both venues, also noted that the command will collaborate with other government agencies to “match strategies and synergise in order to make the ports safe.”
She promised to continue to familiarise and work with various stakeholders “to weed out all those that are not required to be in the ports,” even as she assured that her administration will run an open door policy for this purpose.



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