Police boss calls for concerted efforts against organised transnational crime

By FAVOUR UMARU

THE Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Tunde Ogunsakin has called on all international and local stakeholders on security matters to re-double their efforts in other to stem the evil of transnational border organised crimes plaguing countries of the world especially the African continent.
He averred that what is happening in Nigeria in the area of internal security as manifested in the deadly terrorist campaigns in the northern part of the country is of significant consequences to regional stability, international security, and global economic order.
AIG Ogunsakin said this in a lecture at the 33rd International Symposium on Economic Crime at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom recently. He explained that terrorism was strange in Nigeria and Africa as we were used to inter and intra states conflict, ethnicity, religious and other minor conflicts such as boundary issues hence he calls for concerted efforts to deal with the hydra-headed monster in the region.
Ogunsakin, while acknowledging that two dominant terrorist cells which share the same fundamentalist ideology and violent operational strategy exist in Nigeria, added that the act of terrorism has become rampant and has had a major toll in Nigeria leading to the destruction of lives and properties.
On Transnational organised crime, he said smuggling of cars, pharmaceutical psychotropic drugs, chemicals, from one country to the other affects the development of the country and discourages investment particularly in area of insecurity, organised crime which has eroded the people’s conscience which has invariably affected the dividend of democracy.
“Organised crimes has affected the free flow of divided of democracy in Nigeria particularly corruption, money laundering, human trafficking, oil theft. We have suffered from the operations of organized crime from oil bunkering to money laundering and terrorism. This cannot be totally removed from the impact of globalization that has taken the centre stage in interstate relationship globally.
“Complaint of inter-Internet fraud including identity theft; smuggling of used cars imported from Europe into the Republic of Benin and smuggled into Nigeria; smuggling of prohibited or controlled goods such as pharmaceutical psychotropic drugs, chemicals, fraudulent trade practices, including dumping of sub-standard products and misrepresentation; illicit foreign exchange transactions and siphoning of assets from Africa to developing economies.
“The effect and impact of organised crimes in Nigeria is enormous. It affects the development of the country and discourages investment. Particularly in area of insecurity, organised crime has eroded the people’s conscience. Organised crimes has affected the free flow of divided of democracy in Nigeria particularly corruption, money laundering, human trafficking, oil theft terrorism/insurgency in Nigeria.” Ogunsakin added.
The AIG affirmed that the rippling effect of organized crime for a democracy was monstrous particularly in developing and weak states; he pointed out further that the most damaging is where criminal organizations have penetrated the political domain in order to better consolidate or expand their economic opportunities and in order to limit competition.
On the basis of that he alluded, AIG Ogunsakin noted that the government of President Mohammed Buhari was embarking on measures like infrastructural development of border areas and engagement with border communities to help in combating transnational organized crime and illicit trafficking. Others include the establishment of and support to Almajiri schools in north-eastern Nigeria, Safe Schools Initiative, provision of irrigation and agricultural development to provide alternative livelihoods for the unemployed and sensitization to prevent radicalization of youth in the society.