The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has called on West African police chiefs to collaborate and devise innovative ways to tackle emerging complex security challenges facing the ECOWAS bloc.
Egbetokun made the call at a meeting of the West African Police Chiefs Committee technical sub-committee on training and operations in Abuja, noting that in recent times, the West African subregion had been confronted with complex national security challenges, which have been posing significant threats to the national security order of member states, as well as regional peace and social economic profile.
He cited such crimes to include stealing, cross border robberies, human and illicit drugs trafficking, small arms and light weapons smuggling, banditry, terrorism, as well as the activities of other non-state actors.
The IGP, while noting that cybercrime and cyber-enabled crimes were now emerging as bigger challenges to the subregion’s security, said a critical hindrance to effective regional law enforcement operations and criminal justice delivery initiatives was the differences in legal frameworks and legislative systems among member states.
Also speaking, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatah Musah, said the fast evolution of information technology had further sophisticated the platforms and tactics used by criminal networks against targets.
For her part, the Director, Interpol Regional Bureau, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Paule Ouedrago, said the transnational dimension of the crimes required collaboration between countries, adding that the Regional Office would support the efforts through international police cooperation.
