The United States has trained Nigerian domestic security services, law enforcement, and first responders, to enhance their ability to investigate terrorist plots involving chemical and biological weapons.
The training conducted between September 19 and 23 was part of a series of training being sponsored across Africa by the US Department of State.
It also involved sharing best practices and lessons learned, resulting in an increased level of preparedness against potential CBW terrorism plots or attacks.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to newsmen by the United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, Public Affairs Section, on Tuesday.
The statement read in part, “Recent events in the Middle East have demonstrated the real threat of terrorist acquisition and use of chemical and biological weapons on the battlefield or in ungoverned spaces. These attacks have highlighted the need for countries to have effective national responses, particularly a strong investigative framework and established communication channels among technical experts, law enforcement, and national security stakeholders.
“As part of the training in Nigeria, U.S. technical experts provided local officials with guidance and information to establish universally adopted crime scene management protocols to ensure that any evidence collected at a CBW crime scene can be used in a court of law and ultimately bring the perpetrator to justice.”