The Inspector-General of Police IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has declared Nigeria’s banking industry a strategic national asset, ordering an immediate intelligence-led crackdown on cybercriminal networks, insider facilitators, and transnational financial crime syndicates threatening the stability of the financial system.

Speaking at a strategic meeting with the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria CIBN and the Body of Bank Chief Execitoven Officers in Lagos yesterday, Egbetokun said the Police were moving from reactive responses to proactive disruption of organised criminal enterprises targeting financial institutions.

He said: “The Nigerian banking industry is not merely a driver of economic activity; it is a core component of our national stability architecture. The integrity, continuity, and resilience of the financial system are directly linked to public confidence, investor perception, and the credibility of Nigeria’s economic governance.”

In a major policy shift, Egbetokun announced that regular police officers would no longer be deployed for routine cash-in-transit escorts or non-essential VIP protective duties within the private sector.

He explained that the decision aligned with national policy direction and manpower optimisation within the Force, adding that the traditional model of conventional police deployment for banking sector protection was being reviewed and progressively restructured.

“This policy adjustment is not designed to diminish the security framework supporting the banking industry. Rather, it reflects a deliberate transition towards a more sustainable, professional, and institutionally governed model of security support,” he said.

Egbetokun warned that conventional risks such as armed robbery and cash-in-transit vulnerabilities, though still present, have been overtaken by more complex and technologically sophisticated threats.

“These threats are adaptive, technologically sophisticated, and often coordinated across borders. They include cyber-enabled fraud, identity compromise, insider facilitation, organised financial crime, and illicit financial flows,” he told the bankers.

The IGP stressed that disruptions to banking operations now carry international reputational consequences, citing global compliance standards set by the Financial Action Task Force FATF and Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) obligations.

He said: “In an era shaped by FATF standards, AML/CFT obligations, and heightened scrutiny of financial flows, the strength of a nation’s enforcement and security architecture is now directly relevant to investor confidence and market stability.”

The police noted that: “The speed and sophistication of cyber-enabled fraud illustrate the urgency of integration. Delayed reporting windows can render enforcement ineffective, while rapid escalation, evidence preservation, and coordinated response can significantly improve disruption, recovery, and prosecution outcomes.

“Modern financial crime operates at a pace that requires equally modern security coordination.”

Egbetokun disclosed that the Force had already intensified covert operations targeting kidnapping syndicates, illegal arms networks, and organised criminal enterprises whose activities threaten commercial stability.

He added that the Police were strengthening coordination with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ,EFCC the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU, and the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN to ensure that criminal enterprises do not exploit gaps between enforcement, compliance, and oversight.

The IGP told the bankers that sustainable security cannot be achieved through episodic contact or fragmented interventions, calling for structured cooperation between law enforcement and financial institutions.

“Security is not merely the absence of crime; it is the presence of stability that enables productivity, investment, and growth. A secure banking environment supports savings mobilisation, credit expansion, financial inclusion, and the confidence of both domestic and international investors.

“When citizens trust financial institutions, participation in the formal economy increases. When investors perceive a stable internal security environment supported by credible enforcement, Nigeria becomes more bankable, more investable, and more competitive.

“The outcome of this meeting should not be limited to dialogue. It should produce structured liaison mechanisms between law enforcement and the banking sector, clear operational protocols for high-risk areas, joint capacity building, and lawful information-sharing.

“The Nigeria Police Force stands ready to work with the banking sector not merely as an enforcement institution, but as a strategic partner in safeguarding the integrity, stability, and international credibility of Nigeria’s financial architecture,” he said.

Earlier in his remarks, Chairman of the Body of Bank Chief Executive Officers, Oliver Alawuba, who acknowledged the Police boss for measures put in place to tackle insecurity in the country, highlighted the banking industry’s past support.

He said: “The Bankers’ Committee was responsible for the renovation of over 42 police stations that were destroyed during the EndSARS protests. We stepped in when police infrastructure was in ruins. Today, we expect that same urgency when our own infrastructure is under digital siege.”

CIBN President, Professor Pius Olarenwaju, on his part, painted a grim picture of an industry under silent assault, warning that the velocity of cyberattacks now outstrips the response capacity of traditional law enforcement.

“The banking sector plays a pivotal role in Nigeria’s economic development, and our critical functions can only flourish in a secure and stable environment. But we are fighting a war where the enemy no longer carries guns , they carry laptops and exploit system vulnerabilities in milliseconds,” he told the IGP.

Olarenwaju further stressed that the rapid digital transformation of financial services has created a security paradox.

“As we deepen financial inclusion and expand digital channels, we also expand the attack surface for cybercriminals. The same technology that empowers the unbanked also empowers fraudsters operating from jurisdictions where Nigerian law enforcement has no reach. This is the new reality, and we need the police to evolve with it,” he said.

Present at the occasion were Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers of banks such as Union Bank, Signature Bank, Parallex Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Keystone Bank, Coronation Merchant Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa, among others. (Vanguard)