The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), IGP Olatunji Disu, has called for a unified West African front to combat transnational crime across the region.
The IGP made the call while presiding over the 11th Meeting of Heads of INTERPOL National Central Bureaus (NCBs) for West Africa in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
In his address, IGP Disu highlighted the evolving threat landscape confronting the West African sub-region.
“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.”
According to him, the region’s success depends not on the efforts of any single country, but on the strength and speed of partnerships forged among all 16 member states.
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IGP Disu said Nigeria is working to extend INTERPOL’s I-24/7 secure communications network to border control points and law enforcement institutions nationwide, enabling officers at land crossings to have the same real-time access to critical intelligence as those at headquarters.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to Project GEMINI, the systematic uploading and verification of INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database, while citing the West African Police Information System (WAPIS) as evidence of what purposeful regional data integration can achieve.
The IGP noted that Nigeria remains committed to three priorities: ensuring universal access to INTERPOL’s key databases across West Africa’s border architecture; building coordination mechanisms that enable joint action within hours; and investing in the trust and transparency among NCBs that make meaningful information-sharing possible.
The meeting brought together heads of NCBs from 16 West African countries, alongside senior representatives of the INTERPOL General Secretariat and regional security organisations.
