The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, on Monday charged Heads of INTERPOL National Central Bureaus (NCBs) across West Africa to intensify coordinated efforts against growing transnational security threats in the sub-region.
Disu gave the charge while presiding over the 11th Meeting of Heads of INTERPOL NCBs held in Abuja, where he identified arms trafficking, drug syndicates, kidnapping networks, and other organised crimes as major challenges confronting the region.
The meeting brought together NCB chiefs from sixteen West African countries, alongside senior officials from the INTERPOL General Secretariat and representatives of regional security institutions.
Disu stressed that the region’s success depends not on any single country’s efforts, but on the speed and quality of partnerships forged across all sixteen member states.
He said, “Human trafficking syndicates, arms dealers, drug networks, cyber fraudsters, money launderers, terrorist financiers, and violent extremist groups all share one defining characteristic: they operate without regard for national borders.”
The police chief also disclosed that Nigeria has begun implementing measures to strengthen border security intelligence by extending INTERPOL’s secure communication network to border posts and law enforcement agencies across the country.
According to him, the initiative is aimed at ensuring that officers at border points have real-time access to intelligence in the same manner as personnel at national headquarters.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to Project GEMINI, which focuses on the systematic uploading and verification of INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database, while also highlighting the West African Police Information System (WAPIS) as a model for effective regional data integration.
Reiterating Nigeria’s strategic priorities, Disu said the country is focused on “ensuring universal access to INTERPOL’s key databases across West African border architecture; building coordination mechanisms that enable joint action within hours, not weeks; and investing in the trust and transparency among NCBs that makes meaningful information-sharing possible.”
Disu further emphasised that trust remains a critical foundation for effective regional policing cooperation, warning that even advanced systems would fail without it.
The leader of the INTERPOL delegation urged participants to leave the meeting with actionable commitments rather than intentions, stressing the need for proactive, rather than reactive, policing strategies in tackling cross-border crimes.
(The Whistler)
