The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has admitted that criminals terrorising Nigerians in different parts of the country are ahead of security agencies in so many ways.
Egbetokun said the criminals are no longer “ragtag” because their weapons are sophisticated, well-funded, and they are internationally connected to the extent of using advanced technology.
The top cop, who stated this at Force Headquarters, Abuja, on Thursday, when he met with commanders of all border patrol units across the country, said it is high time they took scaled-up their game.
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“Let me say this to you: when you mount a checkpoint, when you block a smuggling route, when you rescue a victim-you are not just doing your job; you are shaping the future of Nigeria.”
“But let us be clear: the threats we face are changing every day. Criminal groups are no longer ragtag gangs. They are sophisticated, they are well-funded, and they are international. They use drones, falsified documents, and encrypted networks to stay ahead.
“We cannot fight 21st-century crime with 20th-century tools. That is why we must embrace technology – surveillance systems, drones, biometric scanners, real-time data analysis. These are not luxuries; they are necessities.
“And we will continue to fight for them until every officer on the frontline is equipped to match the sophistication of those you face,” the top cop stated before the meeting went into a closed-door session.
Daily Trust reports that the criminals wreaking havocs on Nigeria’s internal security include: bandits, terrorists, gunmen, oil thieves, among others.
According to him, Nigeria is a nation blessed with vast and complex borders-over 4,000 kilometers of land boundaries and long maritime corridors linking us to the Gulf of Guinea.
He noted that these borders are more than lines on a map, and that they are the arteries through which trade, culture, and human connection flow, saying they can also be the cracks through which danger slips in.
Egbetokun added, “For too long, the porosity of our borders has been exploited. We have seen the inflow of small arms and light weapons that fuel violence in our villages and cities.
“We have seen contraband goods smuggled in, crippling our local industries. We have seen vulnerable women and children deceived and trafficked across borders.
“We have confronted terrorists and criminal syndicates who take advantage of these weaknesses to infiltrate and destabilize our communities.”