The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu has attributed the insecurity in the country to the proliferation of small arms caused by poor border management.
The IGP said the arms enter the country through the borders. He urged the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) to identify the actors and stop their activities.
Adamu also 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.
The IGP spoke on Monday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of Interpol Week.
He said: “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 fuelled 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 involved, and proffer solutions to help us in fighting this scourge in this country.”
On how Interpol had assisted law enforcement agencies to combat crimes, the police chief 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.”
Police Affairs Minister Mohammed Dingyadi described the current security situation in the country as complex and dynamic.
The minister said countries must collaborate to defeat those bent on destabilising the national and global security order.
He said: “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.”
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