President Bola Tinubu has called for stronger cooperation between Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies and the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to tackle cybercrime, terrorism, and other related offenses.
This call was made during a meeting with FBI Director Christopher Wray at the State House in Abuja.
Security chiefs present at the meeting included National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Director-General of the State Security Services (SSS) Yusuf Bichi, Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Buba Marwa, Chief of Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) Emmanuel Undiandeye, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Olanipekun Olukoyede, and National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) Adamu Laka.
President Tinubu praised the enduring partnership between Nigeria and the United States in combating financial crimes and terrorism, noting the significance of the FBI Director’s visit.
“It is an honour for me to receive Director Christopher Wray, the leader of an organisation that has demonstrated consistent procedural sophistication and a reputation for excellence over several years. Your visit conveys the importance of Nigeria and Nigerian partnership in the work of America’s law enforcement institutions and vice-versa. For us, it is a recognition of what stage we are at, who we are, and the level of interest both countries share in eliminating crimes locally and globally,” said President Tinubu. “We cannot achieve this important feat of eliminating crimes without collaboration. Incidentally, as the Chairman of ECOWAS, Nigeria is also collaborating with other West African countries to fight economic and other related crimes.”
The President emphasized the administration’s commitment to using education as a tool against poverty, a known driver of criminal activities. He also highlighted the collaborative efforts of various Nigerian agencies in reducing terrorism, cybercrimes, and sextortion.
“We are working hard to eliminate terrorism, cybercrimes, sextortion, and I am glad that we have a good number of agencies that are involved in reducing these crimes to the barest minimum, and they are also well represented at this meeting,” the president added.
President Tinubu also called for U.S. support in providing developing countries with the necessary technology and knowledge transfer to combat complex international crimes.
FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed his commitment to enhancing the partnership between Nigeria and the United States. He commended President Tinubu for his support and vision in countering terrorism and cyber-enabled crimes.
“We appreciate the president’s vision in countering terrorism in the region, which is a dangerous threat, not only to the countries in the region but also to the United States. We appreciate your vision in re-engineering the role of the Office of the NSA to effectively coordinate efforts on counter-terrorism, and this has already started to bear fruits in terms of the success you are recording against ISIS in West Africa and other terrorist groups. We appreciate your support and collaboration on cyber-enabled crimes and sextortion, which has unfortunately resulted in a few tragic deaths in the United States. I want to assure you of our support whether it is on counter-terrorism, cyber-enabled crimes, kidnapping, joint investigations, and intelligence sharing. Our relationship with Nigeria is a very important one,” Wray said.
The meeting underscored the importance of international cooperation in addressing global security challenges and protecting the citizens of both nations.
