Nigeria, United Kingdom sign pact on trans-border crimes

Nigeria and the United Kingdom have agreed to sign a pact to strengthen bilateral efforts in fighting trans-border crimes, including fraud and related migration challenges, to ensure criminal justice in both countries

Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this known at a meeting yesterday with the UK Minister of State, Home Office, Right Honourable Lord David Hanson, in Abuja.

He pointed out that the growing challenge of trans-border crimes, especially Internet fraud, immigration and document fraud and related crimes, requires a collaborative effort from both nations.

The minister said: “Nigeria is ready to take the lead concerning border challenges. We want to be able to manage our liabilities and turn them into assets.

One of the key issues we realised with border control is what we call immigration and document fraud. We found that one of the reasons why this is on the rise is that there is no real-time centralised pool of identification and verification of documents. This breeds inefficiency, but the Nigerian government has created a real-time pool of information verification domiciled in one bank.”

He stressed the need for a unified regional strategy to address the challenge, promising that his ministry was working in this regard, especially in the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea.

Tunji-Ojo explained that by May 1, Nigeria’s electronic visa solution would come alive to strengthen further efforts to tackle cyber and other migration-related crimes

Earlier, the UK official noted that his government was bringing to justice those found guilty of fraud-related crimes, hence a partnership with the Nigerian government.

Lord Hanson said his visit to Nigeria was to deepen the bilateral relationship, not just in tackling immigration and border crimes, but also in scaling up trade and business partnerships. Consequently, a multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Abuja.

Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), signed on behalf of the Federal Government, while Lord David Hanson did so for the United Kingdom.

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The programme also featured the launch of the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime (JCTC) by the AGF in response to the need for a coordinated and robust approach to fighting cybercrimes as contemplated in the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended).

In his speech, Fagbemi said the launch is the birth of a vision built on a collaborative approach to combating the menace of cybercrime and a vision that finds its foundation in the principles of synergy, coordination and mutual respect among institutions committed to justice.

Members of the JCTC are drawn from the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrimes Centre (NPFNCCC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (NgCert), Office of the National Security Adviser, Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Federal High Court of Nigeria.

The JCTC, Fagbemi explained, is not intended to usurp statutory powers of individual team members, but a model rooted in respect for institutional mandates, promoting inter-agency relationships and intelligence sharing. Lord Hanson, in his remarks, said the MoU would tackle cybercrime and crack down on cyber criminals in Nigeria.

According to him, the agreement will also develop Nigeria’s economy and that of the United Kingdom. In a message to the event, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Director, Cheikh Toure, said the initiative marks a significant stride in the collective efforts to combat cybercrime, which transcends borders and impacts every sector of the society.

Yesterday, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, reaffirmed the force’s commitment to international collaboration in the fight against transnational crime, especially cybercrime. He made this known during a courtesy visit by Lord David George Hanson to the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

According to Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the visit focused on strengthening bilateral ties and reinforcing ongoing efforts between the UK and Nigeria to curb cyber fraud and other transnational crimes.