President Bola Tinubu has called for stronger collaboration between Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies and the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the fight against cybercrime, terrorism, and other related crimes.
Tinubu made the call during a meeting with FBI Director, Christopher Asher Wray, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, June 14, 2024.
The president described the presence of the FBI Director alongside his team in Nigeria as a recognition of the enduring partnership between Nigeria and the United States in the fight against financial crimes and terrorism.
He said: “It is an honour for me to receive Director Christopher Wray, the leader of an organization that has demonstrated consistent procedural sophistication and a reputation for excellence over several years.
“Your visit conveys the importance of Nigeria and Nigerian partnership in the work of America’s law enforcement institutions and vice-versa.
“For us, it is a recognition of what stage we are at, who we are, and the level of interest both countries share in eliminating crimes locally and globally.
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“We cannot achieve this important feat of eliminating crimes without collaboration. Incidentally, as the Chairman of ECOWAS, Nigeria is also collaborating with other West African countries to fight economic and other related crimes.”
President Tinubu told the FBI Director that his administration has prioritised education as a tool against poverty, which is generally believed to be a driver of criminal activities.
“We are working hard to eliminate terrorism, cybercrimes, sextortion, and I am glad that we have a good number of agencies that are involved in reducing these crimes to the barest minimum, and they are also well represented at this meeting,” Tinubu added.
In his remarks, Wray said he was in the country to enhance the “outstanding partnership” that exists between the government of Nigeria and the government of the United States.
He lauded President Tinubu for supporting the growing partnerships between various agencies of government and the FBI in order to protect the citizens of both countries.
”We appreciate the President’s vision in countering terrorism in the region, which is a dangerous threat, not only to the countries in the region but also to the United States.
I want to assure you of our support whether it is on counter-terrorism, cyber-enabled crimes, kidnapping, joint investigations, and intelligence sharing. Our relationship with Nigeria is a very important one,” the FBI director stated.
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