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5 days ago
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Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on Thursday expressed concern over the prolonged exploitation of Nigeria’s porous borders and directed commanders of the Border Patrol Section of the Nigerian Police Force to submit detailed monthly reports on their operations.
Speaking during a meeting with senior border commanders at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, Egbetokun warned that failure to provide the reports would be treated as dereliction of duty.
He emphasised that the reports must capture key achievements such as arms and ammunition interceptions, narcotics and contraband seizures, disruption of human trafficking networks, and rescue operations.
“The absence of records will not be interpreted as peace or inactivity, but as failure of duty,” he cautioned.
The IGP stressed that border weaknesses expose communities to violence and insecurity, urging officers to see themselves as “sentinels at the edges of Nigeria’s sovereignty.”
Highlighting the sophistication of modern criminal networks, he noted that they are well-funded, international, and technologically advanced, employing drones, falsified documents, and encrypted systems.
Egbetokun called for the adoption of modern surveillance tools, drones, biometric scanners, and real-time data analysis, urging police officers to fully embrace technology in combating 21st-century crime.
He said, “Policing today can no longer afford to be reactive. To win, we must anticipate, innovate, and outthink those who seek to harm us.”
He cited last year’s seizure of a shipping container from Turkey containing 800 rifles and 100,000 rounds of ammunition as an example of the importance of intelligence, vigilance, and inter-agency collaboration.
The interception, he said, prevented what could have been one of the deadliest influxes of arms into the country.
The IGP also stressed the importance of grassroots intelligence, urging officers to build trust with border communities and treat local informants as critical partners in security. “A single phone call from a villager can prevent a massacre,” Egbetokun stated.
Before the meeting went into closed doors, he said it would no longer be business as usual.
Egbetokun said, “Nigeria is a nation blessed with vast and complex borders-over 4,000 kilometers of land boundaries and long maritime corridors linking us to the Gulf of Guinea. These borders are more than lines on a map. They are the arteries through which trade, culture, and human connection flow. But they can also be the cracks through which danger slips in.
“For too long, the porosity of our borders has been exploited. We have seen the inflow of small arms and light weapons that fuel violence in our villages and cities. We have seen contraband goods smuggled in, crippling our local industries. We have seen vulnerable women and children deceived and trafficked across borders. We have confronted terrorists and criminal syndicates who take advantage of these weaknesses to infiltrate and destabilize our communities.
“These are not abstract threats. They are the challenges we face daily. When you stop a truck carrying hidden rifles, you prevent bloodshed. When you intercept human traffickers, you restore dignity to a life. When you stand firm at a border post, you defend not just territory, but the very identity of Nigeria. This is why we cannot continue with business as usual. Policing today can no longer afford to be reactive. Crime is faster, smarter, and more global than ever before. To win, we must anticipate, we must innovate, and we must outthink those who seek to harm us.
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“Just last year, a shipping container carrying over 800 rifles and 100,000rounds of ammunition, hidden among furniture from Turkey, was intercepted by Nigerian Security Agencies. That interception was not luck; it was the result of intelligence, vigilance, and collaboration1.It prevented what could have been one of the deadliest influxes of arms into our country. That is the standard we must uphold in all our border operations.
“You, the officers of the Border Patrol Section, carry an enormous responsibility. You are not just policemen and women. You are the first line of defence against external threats. You are the protectors of Nigeria’s sovereignty. We cannot fight 21st-century crime with 20th-century tools. That is why we must embrace technology – surveillance systems, drones, biometric scanners, real-time data analysis. These are not luxuries; they are necessities. And we will continue to fight for them until every officer on the frontline is equipped to match the sophistication of those you face.
“From this moment forward, every Commander must keep accurate records of achievements and submit detailed reports to Force Headquarters at the end of each month. These reports must highlight, at the very least, your successes in intercepting arms and ammunition, seizing narcotics and other contraband, and disrupting human trafficking networks while rescuing victims and holding traffickers to account. In addition, every other notable operational achievement – from currency seizures and smuggling disruptions, to intelligence breakthroughs and joint operations- must also be captured in your reports.
“This is not a suggestion; it is command responsibility. The absence of records will not be interpreted as peace or inactivity. It will be taken as a failure of duty”.
English (US)