2,000 Customs officers commence training in weapon handling in Bauchi

The training, which is being handled by the 3 division of the Nigerian Army, Bauchi, started yesterday.

The training was part of the effort of the Customs authority to orientate its men in the Federal Operations Unit(FOU),the anti- smuggling arm of the service, to stem the increasing wave of accidental discharges.

The 2000 officers are part of the 8000 men scheduled to undergo the exercise.

It could be recalled that in recent times, there has been public outcry over activities of Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A customs officers killing innocent Nigerians while chasing smugglers with bags of rice.

The exercise, which is meant to infuse professionalism and competence among the officers, focuses on weapon handling, range management and physical fitness.

Declaring the live firing session open,  Brig. General  Michael Durowaiye of the 33 Artillery Brigade said the training was aimed at assisting the Customs Service to effectively counter activities of smugglers whom he said have become hardened in their attacks on Customs personnel.

He said the training will also improve the relationship of the Nigeria Army and the Para- Military Services particularly the  Customs Service.

“Customs personnel have been encountering smugglers that  are now handling sophisticated weapons , due to this , some of you have lost your colleagues”
” As a result , the Nigeria Customs Service decided to collaborate with the Army Headquarters in Abuja in order to train you on weapon handling and how you can effectively bring it to bear on the enemies of the Nation’s economy , which are the hardened smugglers.
” We are going to train you for a week , divide you into ten  groups. We start with the theoretical aspect on basic marksmanship principle. The emphasis will be on safety and you will be in the field from morning till 6:pm in the evening’

Brig.Gen. Michael Durowaiye charged the customs personnel who are from the rank of CA 11 – ASC 1 to put in their best in the practical aspect of the training.

He advised them to follow the instructions of the weapon training instructors.

‘ We expect that at the end of your training,  there will be a great improvement in your weapon handling and how you particularly arrest or deal with smugglers , there is a way you can arrest without killing unless it is necessary ,” he said further.