Nigeria, the United Nations and the United States have intensified efforts to combat organised crime with the validation of Nigeria’s first national organised crime strategy, aimed at strengthening coordination against criminal networks.
The strategy, expected to be officially unveiled on August 17, provides a national framework to tackle terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, illicit financial flows, human trafficking, cybercrime, arms trafficking, and other organised crimes.
Speaking at the validation exercise in Abuja on Friday, the national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka said organised crime had become one of the greatest threats to national and regional security.
Mr Laka said the strategy was developed through collaboration between the federal government, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and other stakeholders.
He said the framework would strengthen intelligence sharing, inter-agency coordination and collective action among law enforcement agencies, government institutions, civil society organisations and international partners.
According to him, organised crime and terrorism have become increasingly interconnected, undermining governance, economic development and public safety.
“The National Organised Crime Strategy provides an integrated, evidence-based approach to preventing and combating organised crime while strengthening cooperation among relevant institutions,” he said.
Mr Laka said the strategy aligned with the UNODC Country Programme for Nigeria 2026–2030 and complemented Nigeria’s National Counterterrorism Strategy and the NCTC Strategic Action Plan 2025–2030.
He added that the NCTC, which was transitioning into a regional centre of excellence for counterterrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, would support implementation through intelligence fusion and operational collaboration.
The UNODC representative in Nigeria, Cheikh Toure, described organised crime as one of the most serious threats to peace, security, sustainable development and good governance.
Mr Toure said criminal networks continued to exploit institutional weaknesses, porous borders and vulnerable communities to perpetrate crimes ranging from cyber-enabled fraud and trafficking in persons to environmental crimes and kidnapping.
He said the strategy embraced a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach built around four pillars: prevention, pursuit, protection and promotion.
“UNODC is not here to lead; we are here to serve. Nigeria owns this strategy, and our role is to provide technical support to help realise Nigeria’s vision,” he said.
According to him, no single institution can defeat organised crime alone, making national, regional and international partnerships indispensable.
Also speaking, Douglas Grane, acting director of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), said organised crime had become a global challenge requiring coordinated international responses.
Mr Grane said the United States funded the development of the strategy under the Strengthening Regional and Nigerian Coordination to Combat Organised Crime project.
He described the framework as Nigeria’s first coherent and operational strategy for confronting organised crime through coordinated prevention, law enforcement, victim protection and institutional cooperation.
He stressed the importance of intelligence sharing, biometric cooperation and cross-border collaboration, particularly in combating cybercrime and financial sextortion.
According to him, organised crime increasingly crosses physical and virtual borders, making international partnerships more critical than ever.
The commandant of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), Joseph Odama, said organised crime remained a major driver of insecurity, weak governance and economic losses in Nigeria.
Mr Odama said the strategy reflected recommendations contained in the institute’s 2023 research titled “Organised Crime in Nigeria: The Third Assessment.”
He said the research identified illicit drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, arms trafficking, kidnapping, maritime crime, cybercrime and financial crime as major threats requiring coordinated responses.
He urged stakeholders to ensure the strategy remained practical, implementable and responsive to evolving criminal threats.
The validation exercise brought together representatives of security and intelligence agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and international organisations to review the document ahead of its official launch.
(NAN)