The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Amb. Abdel-Fatah Musah, represented by Dr. Abdourahmane Dieng, Permanent Secretary of WAPCCO, emphasized the critical need for regional police chiefs to adapt and collaborate in addressing complex security challenges during the West African Police Chiefs Committee (WAPCCO) technical sub-committee meeting held on June 6 in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Commissioner highlighted the impact of evolving information technology on the sophistication of crimes. He stressed the necessity for security and law enforcement agents to adapt to the dynamic nature of cyberspace, which criminals exploit to conduct illicit activities more efficiently and safely. Furthermore, it was underscored that "the illicit traffic and proliferation of small arms and light weapons, human smuggling activities, armed robbery, illicit migration, child trafficking and labor, kidnapping, abduction, and maritime piracy are but a few of the main issues trending in our region.” He urged participants to share, exchange, and discuss issues surrounding training and operations to develop joint strategies for enhancing security personnel’s capabilities.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, called for greater collaboration and innovative approaches among West African police chiefs to address emerging and complex security challenges facing ECOWAS. This call was made during the WAPCCO technical sub-committee meeting on training and operations. Egbetokun highlighted the increasing complexity of national security challenges within the West African subregion that exacerbate transnational crimes. He emphasized the urgent need for member states to bolster their national security capacities—particularly in cyberspace—to counter cybercriminal activities exploiting differences in legal frameworks across the region.
“Our security reality continually deepens the need to commit to regional collaboration towards dissecting the pattern and trend of crimes on one hand," Mr. Kayode Egbetokun stated. "And towards pulling together and supporting each other in bridging our national security gaps." He enumerated various traditional and emerging crimes—including thefts, cross-border robberies, human trafficking, drug trafficking, smuggling of small arms and light weapons—banditry—and terrorism as significant threats to national security and regional peace. Mr. Kayode Egbetokun also noted cybercrime's rise as a formidable challenge to subregional security.
The Director of Interpol Regional Bureau in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Mrs. Paule Ouedrago reiterated the necessity of collaboration to combat transnational crimes' nature. She pledged her office's support through international police cooperation while calling for stronger collaboration between WAPCCO’s Permanent Secretariat Committee of Police Chiefs’ office organizing police training/operations: “This is how together we will succeed dismantling/disrupting criminal networks undermining our tireless development efforts,” Mrs Paule Ouedrago affirmed.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment among ECOWAS member states to strengthen regional partnerships in training/enhance operational integration among security forces/border management agencies effectively addressing multifaceted subregional security challenges.
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