Interpol moves to strengthen West African border security

Zika Bobby

Following recent handover of new border facility to the Nigerian and Benin Republic governments at Seme, Interpol has commenced moves to strengthen existing crime prevention and curbing capacity of security operatives along land frontiers in West Africa.

Sources at the borders disclosed that an Interpol Border Management training session code-named Project Adwenpa IV billed for Accra, Ghana from November 26 to December 7, 2018 would serve as a reawakening of increased security along the corridor Objective of the training is to further strengthen and consolidate on the gains of Interpol activities in West Africa especially the Lagos-Abidjan corridor.

It also aims at ensuring that ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) continues to function well in trade facilitation through the prevention of abuses by traders.

Theme of event is Interpol project trace -countering the use of social media for terrorist purposes.

It will be recalled that the Customs Interpol Unit headed by Idris Lecky, an Assistant Comptroller had made seizures of stolen vehicles worth over N1.3 billion and preventing other trans-border crimes like human and drug trafficking.

Previous operations, according to Lecky, which entails intelligence gathering and sharing, has been paying off ever since the first sting operation code-named Operation Adwempa 1 was carried out on February 16, 2016.

The operation, according to him, involved representatives from Germany, France and other
countries and has significantly led to a reduction in car theft through the nation’s borders.