“The RazorNews Inter-Agency Lecture reinforced a consensus: Nigeria’s security ecosystem must evolve into a cohesive architecture where military, police, paramilitary agencies, traditional institutions, and citizens operate side by side, not in isolation”.
RazorNews, a leading media platform, convened senior security stakeholders at its Inter-Agency Lectures and Awards in Lagos, with a strong call for institutional collaboration to combat terrorism, transnational crime, and internal security threats.
The conference, held at the Shoregate Hotel Event Hall in GRA Ikeja, brought together operational leaders from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Delivering the keynote address, Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC) John Attah Onoja, Commander of the Mining Marshal, emphasized that the security challenges confronting Nigeria have evolved beyond siloed agency responses.
He warned that terrorism, illegal mining, kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery, and trafficking have become multi-layered crimes that exploit institutional gaps: “Criminality has no boundaries. When agencies fail to collaborate, criminals weaponize the gaps. Inter-agency synergy is no longer optional, it is a national security imperative.”
Onoja advocated integrated intelligence platforms, joint task forces, central command rooms, and real-time data sharing across agencies.
The guest speaker Dr. Bone Chinye Efoziem, Managing Director of Strict Guard Security Services, spoke on operational reforms. He urged stakeholders to transition from territory-centered security to people-centric policing that prioritizes citizens, communities, and human intelligence (HUMINT). He noted that modern threats, cybercrime, arms trafficking, radicalization, and illicit financial networks require government, community, and private sector partnerships, adding: “The critical win is early intelligence. Communities know criminals before authorities do. Integration and trust must guide policing.”
As Royal Father of the Day, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adewale Akanbi Telu I, Oluwo of Iwo, outlined how traditional institutions contribute to local stability. He proposed that traditional rulers be formally integrated into community policing frameworks, noting that criminals often reside within “the same villages they terrorize.”
He cautioned against: The misuse of communal assets, Land grabbing by elites, Ethnic profiling of non-indigenes. According to the monarch, when communities are denied access to land, food security collapses and youth drift into criminal networks for survival.
Contributions from: Rear Admiral O.A. Bankole (Rtd.) representing former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Oluhundare Moshood Jimoh representing IGP Kayode Egbetokun both senior officers urged an end to sectional approaches to security. They emphasized: “Neutral, apolitical enforcement; Shared threat assessments; Improved military-police communication channels; Rapid joint response centers. The officers stressed that Nigeria must elevate national security above religion, ethnicity, and politics.
Speakers unanimously identified key enablers of violent crime: Easy access to illegal firearms and ammunition; Illicit funds from criminal economies; Unemployment and youth marginalization; Politically protected illegal mining; Drug-enhanced violence by armed groups. Illegal extraction of solid minerals notably gold in Zamfara was cited as a major financing source for terrorist elements.
The forum also discussed conditional amnesty, urging government to consider it only for combatants who genuinely disarm and undergo structured reintegration and education. The consensus: illiteracy and economic exclusion continue to fuel insurgent recruitment, and long-term security must combine force with rehabilitation.
Recommendations for Government and Security Agencies: Local Solutions; Create permanent joint taskforces with unified command; Strengthen community policing and vigilante integration; Build trusted civilian reporting pipelines for intel; Empower traditional rulers to escalate early threats. Establish rapid command centers between the military and police for real-time deployment; Harmonize operational data systems, surveillance, and incident intelligence; Enforce accountability against illegal mining syndicates; Expand Interpol engagement and global cybercrime exchanges; Strengthen border intelligence through customs, immigration, NDLEA triage. Leverage joint maritime and aviation surveillance platforms.
The event concluded with the RazorNews Awards, honouring security officers and public figures whose initiatives have strengthened community safety, inter-agency cooperation, and national peace.
RazorNews Inter-Agency Lecture Calls For Unified National Security Architecture To Counter Terrorism And Crime
