Nigeria Police in International Peacekeeping Operations and Its Impact on Domestic Policing 

Nigeria Police is rated highly by security experts and Nigerians for fantastic and credible performance in international peacekeeping operations in contrast to its weak rating as an incompetent institution in domestic policing, as exemplified by increased crime rate and suffocating brutality against the citizens. This negative rating amplifies the presumption that the standard operational procedures and best practices learnt by the Police from international engagements have not impacted positively on domestic policing. This study, which used Motivation Theory as its framework of analysis, appraised the implications of the involvement of the Nigeria Police in international peacekeeping operations for domestic policing, using Kosovo as case study. A qualitative research design, bordering on Key Informant Interview (KII) and Focus Group Discussion (FGD), was adopted as means of data collection. Sixty KII were conducted for police officers who have served both in the domestic and international peacekeeping operations with 20KII conducted for other relevant stakeholders, including members of the National Assembly Committees on Police Affairs. There were KII and FGD for other categories of stakeholders including the market women, civil society and human rights organisations. The Participant Observation Method (POM) was also included in the research methodology design as one of the researchers participated in two peacekeeping operations as a peacekeeper. The qualitative data were complemented by secondary data from texts, journals, magazines, theses and published Internet materials. Findings from the study revealed that international peacekeeping operations have bolstered the image of the Police abroad and impacted positively on the personal career progression of police personnel with a minimal impact on domestic policing due to weak motivation, underfunding and antiquated fighting equipment. The Police should be well funded and motivated for optimal performance in domestic policing.