Ahead of the state visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the United Kingdom, authorities have announced security measures, including temporary road closures and extended airspace restrictions.
The scheduled visit is scheduled to begin on March 18 and will be hosted by Charles III, as the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu, is expected to arrive with the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, for a reception at Windsor Castle.
Thames Valley Police, in a statement published on its website, said that the existing airspace restrictions over Windsor Castle would be extended on March 18, from 7 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., as part of security preparations.
Authorities also plan to utilise Windsor’s closed-circuit television network and additional protective infrastructure to support the operation.
Speaking on the arrangements, Chief Superintendent Adrian Hall of the force’s Joint Operations Unit said its personnel are coordinating security arrangements with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, the Royal Household, and other partners ahead of the visit.
Hall added that the measures form part of a wider security operation, and warned that violations of the flight restrictions would be treated as a criminal offence.
“The air restrictions are just one part of our robust security operation for the state visit of Nigerian President Tinubu next week, with many measures you will see and others you will not.
“As a force, we have a vast amount of experience in policing Royal events in Windsor, and significant planning and preparation have gone into this event.
“We will be taking a strong stance in enforcing the restrictions; anyone who breaches them will be committing a criminal offence under the Air Navigation Order and could be arrested,” he said.
According to Hall, the security operation will involve officers with specialised capabilities, including search teams, mounted police, road policing units and armed officers, alongside neighbourhood policing teams.
“We will also be deploying numerous police officers to Windsor with specialist capabilities, including our search teams, Mounted Section, Roads Policing and armed units, while our neighbourhood and Project Servator resources will also be on the ground engaging with the public,” he said.
“We will also be using the extensive CCTV network in Windsor, Hostile Vehicle Mitigation barriers, and many other security measures that you may not be able to see to make sure the event runs safely,” Hall added.
He called on residents and visitors to remain alert and support security efforts during the visit.
“The public plays a critical role in supporting us, so we encourage them to report any suspicious activity or anything that does not seem quite right by calling 101 or speaking to one of our officers. If there is an immediate threat or emergency, then call 999,” he said.
Police also confirmed that road closures and parking restrictions will begin on March 17, potentially causing temporary traffic disruptions in parts of Windsor.
Thames Valley Police added that it is working with the Civil Aviation Authority and National Air Traffic Services to enforce the temporary flight restrictions during the state visit.
Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.
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