The Nigeria Police Force joins police organisations around the world in marking the United Nations International Day of Police Cooperation, highlighting the critical role of international law enforcement collaboration in confronting transnational crime, protecting vulnerable persons and strengthening public safety.
The observance underscores the reality that modern criminal networks operate across borders, with online fraudsters targeting victims in different jurisdictions and organised crime groups moving people, illicit goods and proceeds across countries. Effective policing therefore requires sustained cooperation, timely intelligence sharing and coordinated action among law enforcement agencies.
For Nigeria, international police cooperation continues to deliver practical results, including the identification and location of victims, recovery of stolen property, tracking of fugitives, disruption of organised criminal networks and the fight against cyber-enabled crime.
In the year under review, collaboration with international law enforcement partners contributed to the arrest of Victor Benjamin Fejemirokum, a murder fugitive wanted in connection with the abduction and murder of an FRSC officer and her daughter in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Following efforts to trace his movements through a viral social media video, he was located in Ghana and arrested by the Ghana Police Service before being subsequently repatriated to Nigeria.
International cooperation also facilitated the arrest of Mark Sunny Okoh, a Brazilian national wanted in connection with cocaine trafficking, who fled Brazil after jumping bail. He was arrested in Okota, Lagos, following international coordination, with extradition proceedings to Brazil subsequently initiated.
These cases demonstrate the importance of sustained cross-border cooperation in ensuring that fugitives cannot exploit jurisdictional boundaries to evade justice and that victims and affected communities are not denied access to justice because crimes extend beyond national borders.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc(+), NPM, reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to deepening cooperation with INTERPOL and other international law enforcement partners. He noted that effective information sharing, coordinated investigations, capacity building and cross-border operational support remain essential to confronting emerging security threats and strengthening the collective response to transnational crime.
The Nigeria Police Force recognises international police cooperation as an essential component of modern policing and will continue to strengthen partnerships that advance intelligence-led policing, support investigations, protect communities and enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies to respond effectively to crimes that transcend national borders.
As the international community marks the United Nations International Day of Police Cooperation, the Nigeria Police Force reaffirms its commitment to working with partners at home and abroad to protect lives and property, support victims, pursue fugitives and build safer communities.