A Chief Superintendent of the Nigeria Police Force, Catherine Ugorji has been selected as one of the two runners-up for the prestigious United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year award for 2020.
Ugorji joined the Nigeria Police Force in 2003 and served as a criminal investigator from the local to regional level, Child Protection Officer, Divisional Crime Officer up to Acting Deputy Commander of the Ogudu Police Division in Lagos.
The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in a press statement released by the National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Nigeria Oluseyi Soremekun, averred that she exemplifies the best of UN policing.
Of the 1,300 UN policewomen deployed in UN peacekeeping operations, the Nigerian police officer who is currently serving with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) made the 21-women list for the award.
The award would be presented during a virtual ceremony presided over by Mr Lacroix on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Luis Carrilho, UN Police Advisor who congratulated Ugorji for being chosen as a runner-up, described her leadership of “three Formed Police Units(FPU) in Gao” as remarkable.
Carrilho said;
“Catherine has introduced tactical operations that have been instrumental in reducing crime in the area, in support of the Malian security forces and the host population.
“In addition to this very demanding role, Chief Superintendent Ugorji has worked diligently to improve living conditions for women police officers so they can serve safely and with dignity.”
