The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has reiterated the need for improved synergy and inter-agency cooperation among various security outfits in the South-East region.

Faleye Olaleye, Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi, made the call on Friday in Abakaliki during a lecture organised before he retires from service.

The lecture titled: “Security Challenges in South-East Nigeria and the way forward” was delivered by Ifeanychukwu Nwali, a geology lecturer at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.

Mr Olaleye decried the increasing rate of crimes in the zone. He noted that such synergy would help to create an enabling environment to overcome the security challenges in the region.

“There is a need to work together and get back on track as a way forward. Such synergy should be done through sharing of intelligence and operational ideas,” he said.

The CP also urged security personnel to maintain cordial relationships with religious and traditional leaders in the region.

He added that inter-agency collaborations, joint operations and up-to-date intelligence sharing should be emphasised to enhance the security architecture of the region.

In the lecture, Mr Nwali said to understand the security challenges in the zone, one must first understand the security architecture around the environment and the role of the police in securing lives and property.

He listed some major security challenges in the South-East as crimes like cultism, robbery, communal clashes and kidnapping.

Other issues, according to him, are herder-farmer conflicts, political unrest, cybercrime, youth unemployment and radicalisation, among others.

(NAN)