The Vice-Chancellor, University of Benin, Prof. Lilian Salami, has solicited for a partnership with the Nigerian army to boost the university’s Centre for Forensic and DNA Studies.
Salami made the call when she led the management team of the university on a courtesy visit to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Friday in Abuja.
She said that in response to the dynamic nature of crimes in the country, the university decided to establish the Centre in the university to look at ways to tackle crimes in a different dimension.
“One of the reasons why we are here is yes we do recognise and appreciate your patronage but we think that we can do a little bit more than that.
“Also to carve or create a path where we can have an MoU, a lasting one with the university so that we can synergise for you to bring in your people while we are there to train them so that we can continue to partner in that direction.
“We cannot continue to emphasise that there is a need for us to begin to fight crime in a different direction.
“We are actually empowered, we have the resources available to train your officers and one of the reasons is that we do appreciate your patronage but we do hope that would be able to give us more men because of primarily this a new intervention invention.
“We want to use this medium to solicit that you should take the lead for the military who are already enjoying these facilities.
“We also want to ask that you continue to patronise us getting into signing MoU with us that we can rest assured that the programme would be sustained while your men benefit from the programme.
“This becomes a win-win situation for you as the military and for us as an institution,” she said.
The Vice-Chancellor disclosed that the decision of the institution to look at forensic and DNA studies was borne out of the need to fight crimes in that direction.
She commended the Nigerian army for the sacrifice of its personnel in ensuring that Nigerians sleep with their eyes closed.
Responding, Buratai, who was represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Lt.-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun said that the University of Benin remained one of the most recognised universities in Nigeria.
“We appreciate you and the university community for appreciating the efforts of the Nigerian army to providing peace and security across the nation.”
He said that the army would continue to partner the university and all other institutions of learning in the country, adding that the army now has its own university at Biu in Borno.
He said that the army university was a specialised university that was established to address contemporary security challenges.
Buratai assured that the Army would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Benin to train its personnel on forensic and DNA studies.
According to him, the Nigerian army takes education and knowledge very seriously, saying that a number of army personnel are undergoing different courses in different universities across the country.