The Honourable Minister of Police Affairs, Dr. Muhammed Maigari Dingyadi has urged security agencies to come together and come up with quality data to assist law enforcement officials in the field and strengthen the existing collaboration.
He stated this during the second meeting of the West Africa Police Information System (WAPIS) National Committee held at the Ministry of Police Affairs Headquarters, Abuja.
The Minister said availability and access to quality data that is in compliance with the laid down rules and procedures will make Nigeria, the West African sub-region, and the world at large a better and safer place.
In his words, “I am at this juncture thankful to all stakeholders for being an integral part of the system and working so hard to ensure the timely availability of quality data to assist law enforcement officers on the field in the quest to make the region and indeed the world a safe and secured place”.
Dingyadi reiterated the importance of the meeting as Nigeria is plagued with issues such as increased maritime-related crimes, the proliferation of small arms and ammunitions, kidnappings, and insurgency and secessionist agitations.
The Minister pointed out that the implementation of the WAPIS programme in Nigeria has reached a remarkable stage since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between INTERPOL and the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2019. WAPIS Nigeria has fulfilled most of its required obligations. He stressed.
Earlier, SP. Evans Makam, WAPIS SPOC in Nigeria in his presentation outlined the status of WAPIS implementation in Nigeria and major challenges such as staff turnover, budget timeline, and expansion of the WAPIS system.
The Data Collection and Registration Centre (DACORE) inaugurated on the 26th May 2021 is responsible for managing the WAPIS system in Nigeria and also act as a catalyst for integrating collaboration between the different law enforcement agencies in the country by combining their collective security efforts in the fight against trans-border crimes and terrorism.
The WAPIS programme was initiated by the West Africa Police Chiefs Committee (WAPCO) in 2012, with the aim of collecting, storing, and sharing of criminal data by relevant law enforcement agencies, WAPIS member states at the regional level, and the world at large.
Bolaji O. Kazeem
Head (Press and Public Relations Unit)
October 28, 2021
