FRSC partners Indian university to boost psychological resilience of law enforcement officers

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has partnered with India’s Rashtriya Raksha University to strengthen the psychological resilience, stress management and emotional well-being of law enforcement officers across Nigeria.

The partnership is being implemented through an international training workshop on stress management and emotional well-being for law enforcement officers, which opened at the FRSC headquarters in Abuja on Monday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Shehu Mohammed, Corps Marshal of the FRSC, said increasing exposure to traumatic incidents, road crashes, emergencies, disasters and security challenges had placed significant psychological and emotional demands on law enforcement personnel.

He said strengthening the mental and emotional well-being of officers was now a strategic requirement for maintaining effective law enforcement and emergency response.

“Stress, when not properly managed, affects judgement, decision-making, interpersonal relationships, productivity and overall operational effectiveness.

“Consequently, strengthening the psychological resilience of law enforcement officers has become a strategic imperative rather than an optional consideration,” Mohammed said

The workshop brought together nominated officers from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Correctional Service, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Fire Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, alongside FRSC personnel and other stakeholders.

Mohammed said the programme was part of the Corps’ commitment to building a professional, resilient and people-centred workforce capable of delivering effective road safety administration and emergency response services.

He explained that the collaboration with Rashtriya Raksha University was developed as part of plans to adopt a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening human-capacity development.

According to him, the partnership would expose Nigerian law enforcement personnel to international best practices in stress management, emotional regulation, psychological resilience, self-management and peer support.

“These competencies are essential not only for personal well-being but also for enhancing professionalism, improving casualty handling, strengthening emergency response and delivering quality service to the Nigerian people,” he said.

The Corps Marshal said the workshop had been in planning for more than a year and was designed to provide participants with practical tools for managing occupational stress, recognising emotional challenges, promoting mental-health awareness and improving workplace effectiveness.

He particularly encouraged tactical and frontline officers to take advantage of the training, given their frequent exposure to emergencies and other high-pressure operational situations.

The programme is expected to combine international expertise with participants’ experiences from Nigeria’s security and law enforcement environment.

Mohammed urged participants to actively engage with facilitators, share experiences and apply the knowledge acquired within their respective organisations.

He said the ultimate measure of the programme would not be the knowledge gained during the sessions but how effectively it was translated into healthier workplaces, improved professional conduct, greater resilience and better public service.

The Corps Marshal also acknowledged the support of the Indian government and Rashtriya Raksha University for sharing expertise and experience with Nigerian law enforcement agencies.

He described the partnership as an important milestone in international cooperation aimed at strengthening institutional capacity and promoting professional excellence among Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies.

Mohammed also commended the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its strategic reviews and approvals that facilitated the programme, as well as other stakeholders who contributed to its organisation.

He said building psychological resilience should form part of broader efforts to strengthen the operational readiness of law enforcement institutions.

“As leaders and officers, we must continue to foster organisational cultures where mental health is recognised as an essential component of operational readiness,” he said.

“Taking care of those who protect society is indispensable to building safer communities and stronger institutions,”