Border Security: IGP Orders Monthly Reports

By Oluwakemi Kindness

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun has ordered commanders of the Border Patrol Section of the Nigerian Police to submit detailed monthly reports on their operations, warning that failure to do so will be regarded as dereliction of duty.

Speaking at a meeting with senior border commanders in Abuja on Thursday, the IGP said the reports must highlight key operational achievements including the interception of arms and ammunition, the seizure of narcotics and contraband goods, the disruption of human trafficking networks, and the rescue of victims.

He stressed that “the absence of records will not be interpreted as peace or inactivity, but as failure of duty.”

The police chief described Nigeria’s borders as the “doors” of the nation, noting that their porousity has long been exploited by arms smugglers, drug cartels, traffickers, and terrorists.

He warned that every weakness at the border exposes communities to violence, contraband products, and insecurity, urging officers to see themselves as “sentinels at the edges of Nigeria’s sovereignty.”

Highlighting the evolving nature of crime, the IGP noted that criminal networks are well-funded, international, and technologically advanced, using drones, falsified documents, and encrypted networks to outsmart security agencies.

He said Nigeria cannot fight 21st-century crime with outdated methods, calling for the deployment of surveillance systems, drones, biometric scanners, and real-time data analysis.

“Policing today can no longer afford to be reactive,” he said. “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,” he said.

While acknowledging the harsh conditions, long deployments, and sacrifices borne by officers and their families, he assured them that welfare remains a priority under his leadership.

He announced ongoing efforts with the federal government and development partners to improve mobility, housing, insurance, and operational tools for border personnel.

The police chief also paid tribute to fallen officers, describing them as heroes whose sacrifices will never be forgotten.

He thanked President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Ministry of Police Affairs, and international partners such as ECOWAS, the African Union, INTERPOL, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for supporting Nigeria’s border security reforms.

The IGP concluded with a solemn charge to the commanders: “Every patrol you order, every checkpoint you mount, every network you dismantle must show that Nigeria’s borders are defended. Let it be written in history that the Border Patrol Section rose to the challenge, defended Nigeria’s sovereignty, and made our country proud before the world.”