Police officers in Kwara undergo training to build mental resilience

Senior police officers at the mental health sensitization and promotion programme.organsied by Fructify Health Actions Initiative (FHAI) at the Police Officers Mess Ilorin on Saturday. Photo credit Dare Akogun

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A Non-Governmental Organisation, Fructify Health Actions Initiative, has trained senior police officers in Kwara State on mental health awareness and resilience as part of its Mental Health Sensitisation and Promotion Programme.

The summit, held on Saturday at the Police Officers’ Mess, GRA, Ilorin, brought together the Commissioner of Police, Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, Tactical Commanders and Heads of Departments across the state.

Speaking while welcoming the FHAI team, the state Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, described the initiative as timely and crucial to improving the mental well-being of officers who constantly face high-pressure operational challenges.

“I am glad this mental health summit is being held for our officers in Kwara. It is important and unique. I urge officers to listen carefully and maximise the learnings,” Ojo said.

He noted that strengthening mental resilience would help officers better manage stress, improve decision-making, and enhance service delivery to the public.

The founder of FHAI, Oluwaseun Oladoye, appreciated the police leadership for embracing the initiative, particularly acknowledging the support of the State Officer-in-Charge of Medical Services, ACP Dr Farayola Hassan.

Oladoye explained that the goal of the summit was to promote and strengthen the mental resilience of police officers, noting that the demands of policing require continuous psychological support and capacity building.

Co-facilitator and Principal Nurse Educator at the College of Nursing Sciences, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Yetunde Adeniyi, took the officers through practical steps on building mental resilience, identifying signs of burnout, and managing emotional stress.

During the interactive session, officers raised questions on substance use, anger management, the role of counsellors within the police system, and how improved welfare can support mental well-being.

In his closing remarks, CP Ojo thanked FHAI for what he described as a “much-needed intervention,” stressing that the theme of the training aligns with the realities of policing in Nigeria.

“The summit is very relevant to the Police Force. We have derived cogent points from this training, and I encourage that this mental health initiative be stepped down to area commands and divisions,” he said.

The NGO pledged to extend the training to lower formations to ensure wider reach and impact.

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