By Uche Onyeali
Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam has charged security agencies to adopt a holistic and multifaceted approach to end terrorism and violent crimes in the country.
Gaidam pointed out that implementing the international standard and good practice of sound, modern, integrated and cooperative border management would go a long way in addressing the threats of terrorism in the country.
According to a statement signed by the Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations in the ministry, Bolaji Kazeem, the minister spoke at a stakeholders conference on security, with the theme: ‘A Path to Regional Cooperation,’ organised by the Ministry of Police Affairs in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Force and National Central Bureau, NCB, in Abuja.
He urged all stakeholders to work in collaboration towards a shared vision of security.
“We can overcome these challenges and emerge as a beacon of stability and progress in Africa if all hands are put on deck,” he said.
Gaidam hinted that the conference was meant to deliberate on the way forward to achieving stable regional security thereby focusing on strategies to strengthen collaboration among Interpol member countries in West Africa with a view to fostering partnerships to share intelligence, expertise and approaches for combating trans-border crimes.
The minister also revealed that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had worked immensely to curb the insurgency caused by Boko Haram, bandits and other transnational crimes, listing some of the measures to include a biometric system at border checkpoints, integration of data analytics into border security operations and deployment of surveillance drones along critical border regions.
He, however, observed that despite the government’s efforts to end the menace of terrorism and violent extremism in the country, the threat posed by the menace had risen significantly, adding that Nigeria was ranked the 6th most impacted country globally according to the 2024 Global Terrorism Index.
Gaidam said the government’s efforts to mitigate insecurity include deploying the military, cooperating with international partners, implementing counter-terrorism legislation; adopting a legal framework related to the West African Police Information System, WAPIS; providing WAPIS terminals to allow security agencies access to critical information and establishment of National Criminal Data Fusion Center, NCDFC, for the Nigerian Police Force.
Also speaking, Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), represented by the Director of Intelligence, Kennedy Zirangey, stated that the conference came at the right time when the nation is faced with insecurity like terrorism, banditry, insurgency, kidnapping, community conflicts and myriads of other security challenges, noting that the catalyst behind these insecurity threats is drug usage by the foot soldiers.
Earlier, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, represented by the Deputy Inspector General, Logistics and Supplies, DIG A. A Hamzat, said the convergence of illicit drugs, small arms, and light weapons in the hands of criminal elements continues to fuel organized crime and extremism, adding that weak border enforcement mechanisms and fragmented intelligence sharing systems exacerbate the situation.
