The inspector-general of police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered commanders of the Border Patrol Section of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) to submit detailed monthly reports on their operations, warning that failure to do so will be regarded as dereliction of duty.
The IGP, who gave the directive during a meeting with senior border commanders in Abuja on Thursday, 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 noted that “the absence of records will not be interpreted as peace or inactivity, but as failure of duty.”
The IGP also described Nigeria’s borders as the “doors” of the nation, noting that their porosity 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, and insecurity, and urged officers to see themselves as “sentinels at the edges of Nigeria’s sovereignty.”
The IGP, while highlighting the evolving nature of crime, 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He said Nigeria cannot fight 21st Century crime with outdated methods, calling for the deployment of surveillance systems, drones, biometric scanners, and real-time data analysis.
According to him, “Policing today can no longer afford to be reactive. 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,” Egbetokun stated.
