SLB Consultancy Nigeria Ltd, in collaboration with the Bauchi State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, yesterday commenced a four-day sensitisation workshop to enhance grassroots security intelligence gathering across Bauchi State.
The workshop, facilitated by personnel from the Bauchi State Police Command, brings together departmental security officers (DSOs) and deputy chairpersons from the 20 local government areas of the state and is designed to equip participants with modern strategies for identifying and responding to community-level security threats.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Isa Babayo Tilde, emphasised the importance of proactive engagement in supporting the work of security agencies.
Represented by the deputy director of Inspectorate and Monitoring Services, Bala Abdul, he noted, “This workshop is designed to enlighten Departmental Security Officers and traditional leaders on the importance of their roles in reporting threats and coordinating with operatives to ensure public safety.”
Tilde acknowledged that many officers are unaware of the full scope of their responsibilities, which has led to communication gaps with security operatives.
“We’ve received several reports indicating that some officers are not effectively contributing to community security efforts. This training aims to change that,” he said.
He also underscored the vital role of information gathering, noting that DSOs, as members of both the local government security council and the communities they serve, are uniquely positioned to monitor, report, and support ongoing security operations.
The commissioner directed that a step-down training be conducted across the local government areas to ensure wider dissemination of the knowledge gained.
He further pledged the ministry’s continuous support and cooperation with relevant security agencies to strengthen community safety throughout the state.
Participants lauded the initiative, describing the training as timely and necessary given the current security challenges across the country.
They also called for regular capacity-building sessions to align with evolving security strategies.