The Nigeria Police Force has reaffirmed its commitment to international law enforcement cooperation, saying stronger collaboration with INTERPOL and other foreign security agencies is critical to tackling transnational crimes.
The Force made this known on Monday in a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, to mark the United Nations International Day of Police Cooperation.
The police said modern criminal networks had become increasingly transnational, with cyber fraudsters targeting victims across jurisdictions and organised crime groups moving people, illicit goods and proceeds between countries.
It stressed that effective policing in such an environment required sustained intelligence sharing, coordinated investigations and joint operations among law enforcement agencies.
According to the Force, international police cooperation has continued to produce practical results for Nigeria, including the identification and location of victims, recovery of stolen property, tracking of fugitives and disruption of organised criminal networks.
It cited the arrest of Victor Benjamin Fejemirokum, a murder fugitive wanted in connection with the abduction and murder of an officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps and her daughter in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The police said efforts to trace Fejemirokum, following a viral social media video, led to his location in Ghana, where he was arrested by the Ghana Police Service before being repatriated to Nigeria.
The Force also highlighted the arrest of Mark Sunny Okoh, a Brazilian national wanted in connection with cocaine trafficking.
Okoh, according to the police, fled Brazil after jumping bail but was subsequently arrested in the Okota area of Lagos following international coordination, with extradition proceedings to Brazil initiated.
The police said such cooperation had strengthened the ability of law enforcement agencies to pursue fugitives across borders and ensure that criminals could not exploit jurisdictional boundaries to evade justice.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, reaffirmed the Force’s commitment to deepening cooperation with INTERPOL and other international law enforcement partners.
Disu said effective information sharing, coordinated investigations, capacity building and cross-border operational support were essential to confronting emerging security threats.
He added that international partnerships remained crucial to ensuring that criminals could not use national borders as a shield against prosecution.
The Nigeria Police Force said it would continue to strengthen partnerships that promote intelligence-led policing, support investigations, protect vulnerable persons and improve the collective capacity of law enforcement agencies to respond to transnational crimes.
The Force also reaffirmed its commitment to working with security partners within and outside Nigeria to protect lives and property, support victims and build safer communities.