President Bola Tinubu has called for increased collaboration between Nigerian law enforcement agencies and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the fight against cybercrime, terrorism and other related crimes.
President Tinubu made the urging during a meeting with the Director of the FBI, Christopher Asher Ray, at the State House, Abuja, on Friday, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngerare.
President Tinubu characterized the visit of the FBI Director and his team to Nigeria as a testament to the longstanding partnership between Nigeria and the United States in the fight against financial crimes and terrorism.
He said his administration was committed to eradicating terrorism, cybercrime and sexual blackmail.
Tinubu also expressed satisfaction that several agencies were actively working to significantly reduce such crimes, noting that they were strongly represented at the rally.
The statement read: “It is an honor for me to host Director Christopher Wray, the leader of an organization that has consistently demonstrated procedural sophistication and a reputation for excellence over the years. Your visit conveys the importance of our partnership with Nigeria in the work of American law enforcement and vice versa. For us, this is a recognition of where we are, who we are, and how interested both our countries are in eliminating crime regionally and globally.”
“Without cooperation, the significant achievement of eradicating crime cannot be achieved. Incidentally, as the ECOWAS Chair, Nigeria is also collaborating with other West African countries in the fight against economic and other related crimes.”
President Tinubu told the FBI director that his administration places a high priority on education as a means to fight poverty, which is widely seen as a contributing factor to criminal activity.
He added, “We are working hard to eradicate terrorism, cybercrime and sexual extortion. There are many agencies working to reduce these crimes to a minimum and I am pleased to see so many of them here at this conference.”
President Tinubu stressed that no country can tackle financial crimes alone and called on the United States to assist developing countries by providing the technology and expertise needed to combat sophisticated transnational crimes.
According to the statement, during his visit, Lay expressed his intention to strengthen the “excellent partnership” between the Nigerian and US governments.
He commended President Tinubu for supporting greater collaboration between government agencies and the FBI to protect the people of both countries.
Mr. Wray recognized that regional terrorism is a significant threat to both the region and the United States and commended the President for his leadership in combating regional terrorism.
“We appreciate your vision to restructure the role of the National Security Agency to effectively coordinate counterterrorism efforts, which is already beginning to bear fruit in your success against ISIS and other terrorist organizations in West Africa,” the statement said.
“We appreciate your support and cooperation in combating cybercrime and sextortion, which has unfortunately resulted in several tragic deaths in the United States.
“Whether it’s counter-terrorism, cybercrime, kidnapping, joint investigations or intelligence sharing, we are committed to assisting you. Our relationship with Nigeria is extremely important,” the FBI director concluded.
Among the security chiefs who attended the meeting were the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, Director of the Department of State Security (DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi, Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.) and Director, Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Major General Emmanuel Ndiandeye.
Others include the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Olanipekun Olukoyede, and the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Major General Adamu Laka.