Pages: 48-55

Abstract

The Nigeria Police Force first participated in Peacekeeping Operations in 1960 with the deployment of personnel to Congo and ever since the list of countries with Nigerian peacekeepers is now endless. Her peacekeepers have participated in operations in Congo, Namibia, Angola, Western Sahara, Cambodia, Mozambique, Somalia, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, East Timor, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Afghanistan, Cote D’Ivoire, Burundi, Haiti, Sudan, South Sudan, Guinea Bissau and most recently in Mali. To better organize her peacekeeping operations, the Peacekeeping office of the Nigeria Police Force was established in 2005 with a clear vision and mission which include, equipping personnel with requisite skills and competencies required to meet complex peace support operations environment through the delivery of quality internationally recognized and professional training. Since then, the Force has made giant strides in their areas of operations. It has equally faced many problems and challenges. This paper addresses these identified issues and concludes by positing that Peace-building in consonance with its infrastructure is a more sustainable approach to ensuring regional peace and stability and, therefore, ensuring development for the peoples of West Africa. Nigeria should always stride to succeed in learning from her peacekeeping experiences and making her experiences the source of even greater power.