The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), through its Marine Security Unit, has sought partnership with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as part of a coordinated effort to combat transnational crime and prevent fraudulent malpractices in the marine industry.
This call was made in Lagos on Friday, January 17, 2025, when Mr. Ademola Olude, Criminal Intelligence Officer from INTERPOL’s Maritime Security Unit, led a delegation of four Ghanaians on a courtesy visit to the acting Zonal Director of the EFCC’s Lagos Directorate, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE1, Michael Wetkas.
Olude, who praised the EFCC for its vigorous corruption-fighting efforts, stated that the purpose of the visit was to seek areas of partnership in the fight against transnational crimes committed across borders.
“The Maritime Security Unit of INTERPOL is tasked with implementing a project called Agwe, a codename for the project aimed at providing capacity-building among West African member countries, particularly in the areas of investigations and exchange of information in the maritime domain,” he said.
He stated that the project is currently underway in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, Togo, The Gambia, and the Benin Republic.
“We have partnerships with 10 different countries in Africa, including Nigeria, and our aim is to reinforce collaboration to ensure maritime security, and we are willing to assist the EFCC in matters relating to border crimes,” he said.
In his answer, Wetkas thanked the delegation for their visit and emphasised that the EFCC is steadfast in its fight against all types of economic and financial crime, placing a high priority on partnership with other law enforcement agencies.
“We are not relenting in our efforts to rid the country of corruption, particularly cybercrime, which has resulted in many internet fraudsters fleeing to neighbouring countries, and so this makes the need to strengthen collaboration across borders more imperative,” he said.
He reiterated the Commission’s willingness to work with INTERPOL to combat corruption throughout the West African region.
