As part of measures to combat kidnapping in the West African Sub-Region, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) is upgrading the skills of 25 investigators on counter kidnap training in Accra.
The participants, drawn from Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, and Burkina Faso, will supervise or lead kidnap investigations and police or judicial police negotiators who negotiate the release of hostages in the five countries.
They will be taken through a kidnapping management specifically designed to provide senior investigators with a comprehensive understanding of the best practices to conduct kidnap investigations and hostage negotiation.
Speaking at the event, Tim Segesseman, the Attaché of the Swiss Embassy to the five countries, noted that the training was not only designed to upgrade the capacities of the National Response Unit of the law enforcement agencies in the selected countries but would also allow them to reflect and share their particular experiences on cases handled.
He said the surge in kidnapping incidents in the sub-region called for collective efforts from all member states to counter the threats.
“I made mention from the beginning of the fact that tensions are on the rise across the sub-region; along with them comes the risk of an increase in kidnapping incidents. To counter this threat will demand common, coordinated efforts by all,” he emphasized.
He, therefore, urged participants to fully participate in the training to enable them to resolve hostage cases and secure the safety of hostages.
The training programme starts from 25th April 2022 to 13th May 2022 at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Accra.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
