Customs, Police Partner To Tackle Security Challenges In Nigeria

Customs, Police Partner To Tackle Security Challenges In Nigeria

Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi visited the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja and sought inter-agencies cooperation and collaboration to facilitate sustainable working relationship between the Service and the Nigeria Police Force to ensure adequate security of lives and properties in the country.
Addressing some senior officers of the Force, Adeniyi congratulated the IGP on his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and further expressed the commitment of the NCS to collaborate with the Nigeria Police Force in combating the challenges of insecurity in Nigeria.
He also assured the IGP that Nigeria Customs is willing to learn more from the Nigeria Police Force in areas of investigation and other operations through coordinated capacity-building programs.
“Criminal activities are inter-connected, thus a need for the two security agencies to collaborate to mitigate the menace of smuggling, which will help the Nigeria Customs Service to generate revenue for the nation. I will therefore request to build a strong relationship between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Police Force,” the CGC said.
According to him, the major issues that bother the two organizations can be mitigated through sharing intelligence to help achieve a common goal in the fight against criminals.
He also briefed the Acting IGP on the proliferation of checkpoints between Mile 2 and Seme Border, saying agencies responsible for the task needed to look into the possibility of rationalizing them.
Adeniyi, who said the Nigeria Customs Service is considering using geospatial intelligence to monitor the borders, expressed the willingness of the Nigeria Customs Service to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Service and the Nigeria Police Force.
Responding, the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, described the CGC’s visit to the Force Headquarters as timely and affirmed his readiness to unanimously establish a solid working bond with the Nigeria Customs Service.
Egbetokun, who congratulated the CGC on his appointment, appreciated his vibrant steps of re-branding the service, adding: “Your bold steps to uplift the organisation are well recognised by Nigerians and you will surely succeed.
“You are coming at a time that the Nigeria Police Force is committed to having strong collaboration with other security agencies. I want to inform you that we also share the vision of having a strong platform where all Services will interact, share intelligence and leverage on our different expertise.”
He told the CGC that the best time to actualise the synergy is now, adding that the Nigeria Police Force is determined to form a system that appropriately responds to the dynamics of criminalities in the Country.
Corroborating the CGC’s call on the state of the Mile 2-Seme checkpoints, the Acting IGP proposed the need to constitute a joint tour of the area, adding: “I will also be paying unscheduled visits to Mile 2-Seme axis.”
He also ensured that the Nigeria Police Force will commit to dismantling illegal checkpoints on the affected roads and pledged to take their partnership to the crest, adding that forming a synergy to fight crime and criminality in some strategic places has become necessary than ever before.