Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has concluded arrangements to host police and security chiefs from the Economic Countries of West Africa (ECOWAS) to tackle the rising cases of terrorism, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the region.
The meeting scheduled to hold between today and Thursday in Abuja is aimed at finding a lasting solution to transnational crimes, especially terrorism, violent extremism, kidnapping, illicit circulation of small arms and light weapons, human trafficking, maritime security, herders and farmers’ conflict amongst others.
Force public relations officer Frank Mba, who made this known in a statement, said the three day meeting under the auspices of the West African Police and Security Chiefs (WAPCCO) will take place at the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Abuja.
Mba said: “The event, which will have in attendance the INTERPOL Secretary General, representatives of African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), members of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in South Africa and representatives from Committee of Chiefs of Police from Central Africa among other key Security Stakeholders, will present very importantly, an opportunity for all security chiefs across West Africa to re- commit themselves to collaborate more effectively towards tackling trans-border crimes and other regional security threats in an increasingly globalized world.
“The West African Police Chiefs Committee (WAPCCO) is a structure under ECOWAS designed to bring together Heads of Police of ECOWAS member states to exchange and share intelligence and collaborate with one another in the fight against criminality and security threats in West Africa.
“WAPCCO’s areas of interest include the tackling of illicit trade on drugs, enforcement of immigration laws, policing of marine space, customs activities and financial intelligence, among others.”