Stakeholders in Nigeria’s security architecture have renewed calls for stronger institutional collaboration as a critical tool for counter-terrorism and crime control at a one-day inter-agency lecture and awards ceremony organised by Razornews in Lagos.
The conference, themed “Institutional Collaboration as a Tool for Counter-Terrorism and Crime, held at Ikeja, and drew senior officers from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Customs Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), among other security and safety institutions.
Delivering the keynote address, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Onoja, Commander of Mining Marshal, stressed that no single agency could successfully combat Nigeria’s complex security challenges in isolation.
He emphasised that emerging threats demand coordinated intelligence sharing, joint operations, and sustained partnerships across institutions.
Guest Speaker and Managing Director of Strict Guard Security Services, Dr. Bone Chinye Efoziem, highlighted the growing importance of public-private partnerships in internal security.
He urged private security outfits and host communities to complement government efforts through intelligence gathering and early warning systems.
At the end of deliberations, participants issued a communique outlining key resolutions and policy directions.
It underscored the urgent need for inter-agency collaboration in tackling terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, and smuggling.
The communique also called for the promotion of patriotism and nationalism among both state and non-state actors, stressing that insecurity transcends religion, tribe, and political affiliation.
Greater roles were recommended for traditional institutions in community policing, with traditional rulers tasked to identify and report criminal elements within their domains.
The document further urged traditional leaders to manage community resources equitably to prevent food insecurity and related crimes, while cautioning against stigmatising non-indigenes as criminals.
In a major policy recommendation, the communique suggested that the Federal Government consider granting amnesty to armed bandits and terrorists willing to drop their weapons, alongside structured education for the largely illiterate population driving insecurity.
It identified illicit funds, illegal arms, unemployment, and drug abuse as major drivers of criminality, while decrying the lack of political will to curb illegal mining of solid minerals, particularly gold in Zamfara, which it described as a major source of criminal funding.
Further recommendations included establishing tighter military-police synergy through a joint control centre for rapid response and strengthening police-community collaboration to enhance early intelligence gathering.
The communique declared that security is no longer territory-centred but people-centric, and therefore security forces and non-state actors such as traditional rulers, civil society organisations, and religious leaders must be highly engaged in efforts to checkmate criminality in the country.
High-level contributions also came from His Imperial Majesty, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adewale Akanbi Telu I, who spoke on community-based peacebuilding and traditional conflict resolution; Rear Admiral O. A. Bankole (rtd), representing former Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa; and Lagos State Commissioner of Police CP Olanrewaju Moshood Jimoh, representing IGP Kayode Egbetokun.
The royal father emphasised the need for traditional institutions to remain central to grassroots security management, while the military and police representatives reaffirmed the commitment of the armed forces and police to deeper inter-agency cooperation.
The summit concluded with the presentation of awards to deserving officers and members of the public in recognition of their outstanding service and contributions to national security.
RAZORNEWS INTER-AGENCY COOPERATION LECTURES & AWARDS 2025
LECTURE THEME: Institutional Collaboration As A Tool For Counter-Terrorism And Crime
INTRODUCTION
On Tuesday 2nd December, 2025 RAZORNEWS, a media platform organized a one-day lecture on the afore-mentioned theme alongside awards for some deserving officers of Nigeria’s security forces and other members of the public. The event took place at the event hall of Shoregate Hotel, GRA Ikeja Lagos.
In attendance were officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Security & Civil Defense Corp, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Customs Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency etc.
Ø The Keynote Speaker was Assistant Commandant of Corp (ACC) John Attah Onoja, (Commander, Mining Marshal)
Ø The Guest Speaker was Managing Director, Strict Guard Security Services, Dr. Bone Chinye Efoziem
Other Contributors on the theme:
His Imperial Majesty, Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adewale Akanbi Telu 1
Ø Rear Admiral OA Bankole (rtd) representing former Chief of Defense Staff – General Christopher Musa
Commissioner of Police, Lagos State (CP Oluhundare Moshood Jimoh) who also represented IGP Kayode Egbetokun
The theme of the day was extensively discussed by the Keynote Speaker and the Guest Speaker respectively, with each drawing from his wealth of professional and industry experience.
Oba Akanbi who was the Royal father of the day also made valid contributions verging on his devised method of promoting peaceful co-existence in his Kingdom and ultimately achieving a relatively secure environment.
The representative of the Chief of Defense and Lagos Police Commissioner made valid input also.
Therefore, the highpoints of their contributions towards institutional collaboration as a tool for counter-terrorism and other manners of crime are reflected here under.
COMMUNIQUE
- Nigeria as a social system has institutions structurally established and entrusted with certain specific functions. Among such institutions are the security agencies of the state like the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Immigration, Nigerian Customs Service, Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corp, National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency.
- Criminality in Nigeria has no boundary; hence all security agencies should play inter-agency roles in combating all crimes like terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, smuggling etc.
- Inter-agency collaboration among the various security agencies is non-negotiable.
- Collaboration and partnership among state security agencies and non-state actors like community vigilante groups have become inevitable.
- Promotion of the culture of patriotism and nationalism among state security agencies and non-state actors is absolutely necessary.
- Since insecurity has no boundary and does not recognize religion, tribe, political or social class, the fight against it should be devoid of sectional bias or other mundane considerations. The national interest of Nigeria with respect to security should be placed over and above religion, tribe, political affiliation or social club interest.
- More roles should be assigned to the nation’s traditional institution with respect to community policing. Since criminal elements often live in the communities, traditional rulers should be charged with the responsibility of communal security by ensuring that any criminal elements in their midst are reported or handed over to the law enforcement.
- Traditional rulers should learn to promote welfarism in their domain by ensuring that community resources are harnessed for the good of citizens but not a few greedy individuals.
For example, community lands should be utilized equitably in a manner that the average citizen has land for agricultural purposes that can lead to food security instead of a situation where some traditional rulers connive with external land grabbers to dispossess the community of its land, thereby creating food insecurity which ultimately leads to other crimes. - Traditional rulers should upscale their awareness creation highlighting the fact that not all non-indigenes in their community are criminals.
The offense of one non-indigene resident in a community should not be used to generalize that all non-indigenes in the community are criminal suspects.
For example, the nomadic Fulani herdsmen had lived peacefully for years in various communities in the South of Nigeria but advent of attacks by some criminally minded Fulani crime suspect has regrettably brought fears. - The Federal Government could consider granting amnesty to armed bandits and terrorists if they are ready to drop their weapons with a subsequent education of the largely illiterate population of the killer bandits and terrorists. This is because they are highly driven by illiteracy and lack of employment.
- Availability of illicit funds, availability of illegal arms and ammunition and lack of employment opportunities, and availability of enhancing drugs are serious underlining reasons for the increase in number of criminals in Nigeria.
- Lack of political will to check the illegal mining of solid minerals in parts of the country e.g. mining of gold in Zamfara by unnamed retired military generals. The illegal mining is a major source of funding of criminality in those parts of the country.
- Criminality can be checked through local and international collaborations. Local collaboration includes setting of joint task forces, community policing initiative, public/private security partnership while international collaboration can include Interpol, cyber security partnership at the global level.
- The military and police can collaborate and establish a control centre where decisions on quick responses can be taken to shorten decision and action periods if the agencies are operating independently.
- The police should work out a way of collaborating with communities on how to get early and relevant intelligence that could enable field officers to reach where the criminals hibernate in community forests.
- Security is no longer territory centred but people-centric. Therefore, security forces and non-state actors, like traditional rulers, civil society organisations, religious leaders should be highly engaged in any effort to checkmate criminality in the country.
Thank you.
securityandsafetymatters 