Police move to check child molestation

The Nigeria Police high command has embarked on a move to enforce child rights laws with a view to ending molestation of children in the country.

The new move led to the collaboration of the high command with the Nasarawa State University to train over two dozen officers in the gender unit of the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) on ‘Child molestation prevention and management for personnel of gender unit of NPF’.
  
The training was declared open by the Inspector General of Police, represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration, DCP Dayo Ariyo.
  
According to him, “We appreciate the Nasarawa State University for this laudable training programme to personnel of the gender unit of the Nigerian police force.

“Children are our future and if we want a better tomorrow for the country there is a need to ensure that children are well taken care of today so that they can be good leaders of tomorrow.
  
“If we allow them to be subjected to undue molestation, harassment and the rest of them, it will weigh down on their psyche. Any child that has been molested will most likely not be able to hold his head high in society in the future.

“That is why we really appreciate the institute for this programme and that is why our personnel in the gender unit can go all out to ensure measures are put in place to prevent molestation of children and where such is perhaps inevitable, they will be able to know how to manage those affected and make them to overcome such unfortunate incidence so that in future they can be able to stand firm and take up positions in the country as worthy leaders of tomorrow.”
  
He added: “I believe that at the end of the two days training, which is being organised free of charge for us, in other climes each participant is supposed to pay for such training, but you are doing it for us free because you have a great future for this country. At the end of this programme I have no doubt that the gender unit of the police force will be better to handle the issue of child molestation in our society.”
  
According to the representative of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura, the university feels delighted to contribute to crime-fighting to make society better.

Addressing participants, he said: “The Nigerian police force in their letter through my Vice-Chancellor, intimated that they are sending some of their best officers to participate in this training and so if you made it on the list of participants on this training I want you to know that your bosses have confidence in you.  
  
“Do you know how many police officers we have in this country? Just 25 of you have been chosen from that large number to go through this special training. Our expectations are that you will equally be able to train your colleagues and for you to know that it is a very special recognition that the Nigerian police management has entrusted in you.

“You will ensure you take all the important information from the resource persons when the engagement commences.
This training is organised by Nasarawa State University and so the Vice-Chancellor would have been here himself to flag off the academic component.”