Following the spate of insecurity experienced across the country, a non governmental organisation, Neighbourhood Enlightenment and Safety Organisation (NESO), has held a three day capacity building worship for its officers.
The training held Thursday in Suleja, Niger state, in collaboration with the International Institute of Certified Forensic Investigation Professionals (IICFIP), USA, with the theme “new perspectives in intelligence, counter insurgency and forensic” had in attendance more than five hundred officers of the NGO and facilitators drawn from the academia, military and legal profession.
Addressing newsmen during the workshop, the Corps Commandant General of NESO, Dr Sani Aliyu, said that the NGO, formerly known as Nigerian Elite Security Organization, was founded in 2010, following a merger by a group of patriotic Nigerians “who hitherto were under two different legal bodies propagating communal watch and intelligence, collating and complimenting government’s efforts at combating terrorism and insurgency in the country”.
He said that NESO is spread across the 36 state commands, including the FCT, with more than 70,000 members and is better positioned to deliver intelligence assistance to the armed forces and security organisations in the ongoing fight against terrorism and allied forms of insurgency, adding that they have pledged their unflinching loyalty to the federal government.
He said: “We assist in creating sustainable safety and security in Nigeria by providing support intelligence to constitutional regular security and intelligence agencies; while propagating and engendering a free, peaceful and united Nigeria. We aim to protect and enhance the lives of every Nigerian citizen and residents; in collaboration with security and intelligence agencies.
“The membership of NESO comprises of patriotic and security-conscious adult Nigerians from every field of human endeavour. This includes core professionals, technocrats, retired but not tired military personnel and those from the menial community; including labourers, farmers, tradesmen, tradeswomen and even the physically challenged; whose vision is to free Nigeria from the rising tide of terrorism and insurgency.”
Furthermore, he said, “We deployed the methodology of assimilation as an unconventional means of intelligence collation towards curbing criminalities before they gain root in our society.
Providing a template for communal peace and cohesion is a boost to the prevention of insurgency and terrorist migration. In just in a few years of existence, NESO can modestly assert that it has contributed its own quota to matters of serious implication to national security.
“NESO is actively engaged in the peace-building process ongoing in the North East and North Central region of the country. Our prospects, therefore, is to sustain the current impressive tempo of discipline, resilience, doggedness, drive and commitment of our members and personnel to serve our motherland in collaboration and under the supervision of the Security and Intelligence Agencies of government.”
