No fewer than 4,000 personnel of Operation Rainbow, the Plateau State-owned security outfit, have begun specialised training on standard operating procedures aimed at tackling the security challenges facing the state.
The Technical Adviser at the Kukah Centre, Mr Saka Azimazi, in an interview on Sunday after the first set of trainees concluded a week-long session in the state capital.
Azimazi said the specialised training for Operation Rainbow, created in 2010 by the administration of former Governor Jonah Jang in response to growing insecurity, had become necessary to enhance the unit’s operations and effectiveness.
“We have done a baseline assessment of the capacity of Operation Rainbow, and some of the outcomes of the evaluation informed our topics.
“We have a three-batch system. The first group is 100, the second group is also 100, and the third group is equally 100.
“For an organization that has close to 4,000 operatives, 300 is significantly small. So our target is to train all of the personnel. But we have to start somewhere. The idea is that those who are benefitting from the training will trickle it down to the rest so that no one will be left behind,” Azimazi said.
He explained that the training is one of three milestones, which also include reviewing the law establishing Operation Rainbow and compiling a standard operating procedure.
The training is expected to cover all 4,000 personnel in batches, with the Kukah Centre planning to train trainers to sustain the process. Azimazi said the success of the training will inform future plans, including evaluating each batch to ensure optimum performance.
Earlier, in a goodwill message, Plateau State Attorney General, Philemon Dafi, represented by Konrad Kentu, Assistant Director of Legal Drafting, emphasized the importance of Operation Rainbow in maintaining peace in the state.
“May this programme produce not merely a set of trained personnel but a culture of professionalism, restraint, legal compliance and civic respect that endures,” Kentu said.
A representative of the Plateau State Peace Building Agency, Nantip Joseph, described the training as timely, noting that it aligns with the national conversation on decentralizing the policing system.
The state Coordinator of Operation Rainbow, Brig.-Gen. Gakji Shipi (retd), represented by Fadasah Othman, urged participants to pay attention, saying, “Here, they will build your capacity on the rules of engagement. It’s an eye opener, so when you go through that, please be attentive.”
