The Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, is presently in Washington, DC, for talks with US officials on the current security situation in Nigeria, sources said on Monday.
The North America correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Ringim arrived in Washington on Sunday night on a five-day working visit to the US.
“Ringim will meet with FBI officials on Monday and will also hold meetings with State Department officials on issues bordering on security concerns,” an unnamed official at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington told NAN.
Another official told NAN that US assistance and cooperation was vital to the battle against terrorism in Nigeria.
The visiting Nigerian police chief will also on Thursday in Washington deliver a keynote address on “The Challenge of Police Reform in Africa” at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
According to the organisers of the event, Mr Ringim is expected to “discuss his efforts to turn the continent’s largest police organisation into an accountable, professional, publicly-oriented service”.
NAN reports that during a panel discussion, policing experts will assess current US efforts to support the development of capable police in Africa, and look at what the US can do to bring more attention and resources to bear on the issue.
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