The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, on Monday met with the Secretary General of the International Criminal Police Organisation, INTERPOL, Valdecy Urquiza, in Lyon, France.

This is as Nigeria seeks to deepen international police cooperation and strengthen its response to transnational crime.

The meeting formed part of Disu’s maiden official visit as Inspector-General of Police to the INTERPOL General Secretariat in Lyon, according to a statement issued on Monday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu.

The statement said Disu and senior INTERPOL officials discussed measures to enhance cooperation in cybercrime, counter-terrorism, financial crime, organised crime, fugitive tracking and intelligence sharing.

The meeting also focused on the effective use of INTERPOL databases and policing tools.

According to the statement, “The engagement also provided an opportunity to review Nigeria’s participation in INTERPOL-supported initiatives and explore further areas of technical and operational collaboration aimed at strengthening criminal intelligence analysis, cross-border investigations and the disruption of transnational criminal networks.”

The police said the visit was part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to tackle crimes that operate across national borders.

The statement said, “The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to strengthening cooperation with INTERPOL and international law-enforcement partners, leveraging intelligence, technology and global policing capabilities to combat evolving security threats and deny criminal networks the ability to operate across borders.”

Disu was accompanied on the visit by the Head of INTERPOL Nigeria and National Central Bureau, Abuja, AIG Olaolu Adegbite; Director, Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, AIG Ezima Akaninyene Ifem; Head, Nigeria Police Counter Terrorism Unit, AIG Akoh Benedict Gabriel; and INTERPOL Africa Committee Member, CP Ojajuni Olubode.

The meeting comes as INTERPOL continues to support cross-border operations against organised and cyber-enabled crime. In August, the organisation said an eight-month operation targeting West African organised crime groups had led to 58 arrests and the identification of 263 suspects across 23 countries.

INTERPOL has also previously worked with Nigerian law enforcement agencies on operations targeting financial crime, cybercrime, drug trafficking and human trafficking.

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