The Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Adamu has said the proliferation of small arms caused by poor border management, is the main source of insecurity in the country.
IGP Adamu, who stated this yesterday at the at the opening ceremony of INTERPOL week, said the arms are brought into the country through the borders.
The IGP, who expressed worry that the signing of the African Free Trade Agreement within the ECOWAS framework could present new sets of security threats in the sub-region, asked INTERPOL to identify the actors in arms proliferation and put a stop to the activities of the perpetrators.
According to him, “Much as the INTERPOL framework has been helpful in strengthening partnerships among national law enforcement agencies towards addressing the global security question, the issue of border security and management remains a constant threat.
“On proliferation of small arms and light weapons in West Africa particularly in Nigeria, the security situation in the country is being fueled by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons which are mostly brought into the country through our borders.
“I urge INTERPOL to come up with a threat assessment of proliferation of light weapons as it affects Nigeria. To identify the root where these arms are coming into Nigeria, the actors that are involved and proffer solutions so as to help us in fighting this scourge in this country.
“The signing of the African Free Trade Agreement within the ECOWAS framework could present new sets of security threats in the West African Sub-Region for which we need to step up our collaborative efforts, devise new strategies and build enduring partnerships to contain.”
On how INTERPOL has assisted law enforcement agencies to combat crimes, the IGP said “In Nigeria, INTERPOL has been supporting the law enforcement community in diverse ways particularly, in relation to criminal information processing and sharing, and global monitoring and apprehension of criminal elements.
“The Nigeria INTERPOL NCB maintains Criminal Databases in this regard. These include the I24/7 Database which is currently being expanded under the Project Gemni with support of the American Government and West African Police Information System (WAPIS) Criminal Data Base which is being supported by the European Union.
“These projects are supporting our efforts towards combating cybercrimes, drugs and human trafficking, proliferation of small arms and light weapons, armed robbery, car-jacking, fraud, environmental crimes, kidnapping for ransom, violent extremism, and terrorism.”
While speaking at the function, the new Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi, decried the current security situation in the country and described it as complex and dynamic.
The minister further said countries must collaborate to defeat those bent on destabilising the national and global security order.
“Crime is a dynamic and increasingly complex phenomenon which transcends national boundaries. It is imperative that countries build and continually strengthen partnerships towards presenting a united front to defeat common enemies that are bent on destabilising the national and global security order,” he said.
