Two of the NAF personnel demonstrating what they learnt during the course

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has trained 12 personnel of its Air Provost Specialty in advanced dog handling techniques as a way of enhancing their proficiency in carrying out criminal investigations and other security-related duties, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force said in a statement on Thursday.

The 6-week advanced dog handlers’ course was conducted at Braveheart Bio-Dog Academy in South Africa as a follow-up to the basic K9 training received at the Nigeria Police Force Dog Breeding/Training Centre Abuja.

According to him, it is the first time in a while that NAF personnel would receive special training in dog handling at a reputable overseas institution.

“Considering the security challenges currently being faced in the country, the newly acquired dogs, which have been trained to detect explosives, arms and ammunitions, narcotics as well as other substances, are expected to serve as a complement to explosive detection devices.

“The attendance of the advanced dog handlers’ course has further boosted the capacity of the affected NAF personnel and also exposed them to international best practices in the use of dogs for security purposes,” Olatokunbo said of the importance of the training.