The Lagos State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF, says growing complexity of Nigeria’s security environment, particularly recent developments in the South-West, underscores the need for stronger institutional collaboration, emotional intelligence, ethical professionalism and continuous retraining among frontline security personnel.

Its Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ayo Ogunsan, stated this during the third edition of the Fund’s two-day Statewide Inter-Agency Training Programme for Security Operatives.

The programme brought together senior officers, security operatives, policymakers and experts from across Lagos to strengthen the operational readiness of security and safety agencies in the state.

According to LSSTF, the training programme, now in its third edition, is expected to equip more than 1,000 security operatives drawn from various security and safety agencies in Lagos between March and December 2026.

The programme, themed, “Enhancing Professional Capacity, Ethical Standards and Inter-Agency Collaboration for Effective Security Operations,” highlighted the need for intelligence-driven, people-oriented and coordinated security operations rooted in professionalism, collaboration and public trust.

Ogunsan who spoke through Director of Administration, Adegbola Lewis, said the security landscape in Nigeria and the South-West had become increasingly dynamic and interconnected, making inter-agency collaboration indispensable.

He said the importance of the training programme cannot be overstated.

“Recent incidents, including the disturbing rise in kidnappings involving innocent citizens and schoolchildren in neighbouring states, alongside other emerging security threats, have heightened public anxiety and raised legitimate concerns regarding the capacity of institutions to effectively anticipate, prevent and respond to security challenges.”

Lewis noted that contemporary security realities require coordinated operational planning, intelligence sharing, effective communication and timely joint responses among agencies.

“Security is no longer the responsibility of any single agency acting in isolation,” he stated. “Modern security threats are dynamic, interconnected and often require coordinated responses that transcend institutional boundaries.”

He added that beyond improving individual competencies, the LSSTF initiative was designed to deepen inter-agency cooperation, strengthen ethical standards and foster professionalism among security personnel.

Lewis also disclosed that the programme included modules on financial literacy and medical wellness, recognising that operational effectiveness is closely tied to the physical, emotional and financial wellbeing of personnel.

The event featured presentations from security chiefs, facilitators and subject experts, who stressed that security operations in a megacity like Lagos require emotional maturity, ethical conduct and people-centred engagement in addition to tactical competence.

Speaking as Special Guest of Honour, the Corps Marshal of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC/KAI), Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (rtd.), commended Ogunsan for sustaining support for security agencies in the state.

“What you have built here is more than an institution; it is a lifeline for the safety architecture of Lagos State,” he said.

Cole stressed that environmental disorder, illegal settlements, blocked drainage systems and abandoned structures often create fertile grounds for criminal activities.

“You cannot have security without public wellbeing,” he added. “The safety of the public depends on the discipline, competence and welfare of the men and women who serve on the frontlines.”

Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Tijani who spoke through ACP Oluwatoyin Kazeem urged participants to maximise the opportunity provided by the training.

Tijani said he trust participants to use this opportunity to enrich their capacity, become more efficient and diligent in the discharge of teir duties, and also use this avenue to enhance inter-agency collaboration.

One of the keynote facilitators, Professor Oka Martin Obono of the University of Ibadan, spoke on emotional intelligence and financial management within the security services.

He said many confrontations between civilians and security personnel stem from inadequate emotional management and insufficient capacity building.

You are with a gun, you are already extremely powerful,” he said. “But many officers have not been exposed to emotional management, self-awareness, empathy, motivation and social skills.”

Obono also introduced participants to what he described as the “Life Project Approach” to personal finance and retirement planning, urging officers to prepare for life after service through disciplined financial management and long-term planning.

General Manager of Globus Training and Advisory Limited, Desmond Nnebue, said the training had already produced measurable improvements in emotional intelligence, public diplomacy, ethical professionalism and financial management among participants from previous editions.

“We want our officers and security agents to be more emotionally intelligent,” Nnebue said. “We want inter-agency collaboration so that agencies no longer see themselves as rivals on the field.”

On the health and wellness aspect of the training, Executive Director and Deputy Director of Clinical Services at Anantis Pediatric and Multispecialist Hospital, Dr. Diya Alade Oluwadamola, urged security personnel to prioritise their physical and emotional wellbeing.

“Our men are being ignored in many wellness conversations,” she said. “Your spirit, your soul, your mind and your body must come together in harmony to give you total health.”

She commended the Lagos State Government and the LSSTF for introducing a holistic approach to security training that recognises the wellbeing of officers.

Among dignitaries at the event were the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Fatai Tijani, represented by ACP Oluwatoyin Kazeem; Commander, NNS Beecroft, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, represented by Commander Oka Bassey Otu; Director of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Abimbola Adeseye, represented by Amodu Shakiru; and senior officers from participating security agencies.