The Federal Government and the African Union have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, which includes the formation of one Formed Police Unit of 140 police officers and other resources to African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM.
Director of Peacekeeping of the Nigeria Police Force, DCP Kayode Aderanti, said that the MoU was signed on behalf of the AU by Ambassador Ram-tane Lamamra, the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, while the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the AU, Bulus Lolo, signed for the Federal Government.
According to Aderanti, the signing brings to an end the formalization of the deployment of the Nigerian Formed Police Unit to AMISOM in Somalia.
The AMISOM Strategic Concept was approved by the AU Peace and Security Council of African Union at its 302nd meeting held in Addis Ababa on 2 December 2011, and then endorsed by the UN Security Council in its Resolution 2036 on 22 February 2012. The Concept authorises the AU to deploy two Formed Police Units to AMISOM with the mandate to provide security and operational support to the Somali Police Force.