Inter-agency, int’l collaborations key to crimes prevention -Minister

Minister of Police Affairs, Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi has reiterated the need for inter-agency and international collaboration for crimes prevention as well as effective protection of lives and properties in the country.

Speaking at the INTERPOL Week Celebration 2021 with a theme “For A Safer World” in Abuja, Dingyadi said that INTERPOL as a global police organization, with membership from 194 member countries is the professional network to track the activities of trans-national criminal groups and bring them to face the law

Dingyadi, açcording to a statement by the ministry’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Bolaji Kazeem, said crime is growing very sophisticated and transitional, with organized criminal groups committing crimes that touch multiple jurisdictions, and to effectively work in protecting lives and properties during this pandemic, inter-agency and international collaboration is very critical. He stressed.

He said: “Nigeria has been facing series of security challenges, ranging from terrorism, banditry, traffic in arms and cybercrimes to other illicit activities. The present administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has promised Nigerians that security of lives and property is the primary objective of this government.”

The minister pointed out that, with a view to repositioning the police for better service delivery, we are currently working in concert with the Police Service Commission and the Inspector General of Police to implement a government policy of recruiting ten thousand policemen annually to boost the security architecture of the country.

He said: “The ministry under my direction has been working with the Inspector General of Police to ensure that necessary tools and equipment, needed by the police is secured to take policing to the next level. We are also collaborating with other agencies and international partners to make sure that NCB is adequately equipped to support Nigeria police and other relevant agencies to deliver on their mandate.”

In his welcome address, the AIG INTERPOL and Head of the National Central Bureau, NCB, Garba B. Umar stated that INTERPOL has been supporting law enforcement agencies in Nigeria in different ways, especially in the processing and sharing of the criminals’ information, global monitoring and apprehension of criminal elements noting that criminal database is maintained by the Nigeria Police Force.

He said NCB has succeeded in exchanging and collecting I-24/7 for the three major security agencies in Nigeria such as EFCC, Nigeria Navy, and Nigeria Immigration Service and there is ongoing engagement with other relevant stakeholders to bring them on board with the same objectives adding that the bureau was rated 1st in Africa and 36 among the 194 member countries by the Headquarters of INTERPOL.

Earlier, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Usman Baba Alkali noted that INTERPOL Week 2021 is significant as it is being organized at a time when the nation and global communities are facing a lot of health, security, and economic challenges which would afford them an opportunity to discuss some critical issues and come out with s on how to tap into vast resources of the INTERPOL towards tackling current challenges.

He said INTERPOL was set up with the intention and purposes of collaborating to solve international crimes, identification of transnational criminal techniques and networks as well as extradition of criminal elements.