By Linus Aleke, Abuja
The Government of United Kingdom (UK), has evaluated the strategy it put in place to curtail organised crime in Nigeria, as part of effort to promote peace and economic prosperity.
In a multi stakeholder meeting hosted by the UK Government, in Abuja, the British High Commission, noted that the meeting discussed how its Serious & Organised Crime (SOC), Prevent Programme is making significant strides in deterring vulnerable young people from joining Organised Crime Groups in the country.
A statement by Senior Communications, & Public Diplomacy Officer, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, British High Commission Abuja, Ms. Atinuke Akande-Alegbe, noted that the programme which was launched as a three-year pilot in December 2021, is designed to disrupt Nigerian Organised Crime Groups by redirecting at-risk youth towards positive alternatives in Bayelsa, Edo, Zamfara and Lagos states.
“In select local governments of these states, the SOC Prevent Programme has established robust structures and delivered various interventions, including Back-to-School Initiatives, Digital Skills Acquisition, Dance and Drama Workshops and Sports Interventions.
“Collaborating closely with the Nigeria Police Force, the programme has trained 83 officers in the Prevent methodology, reinforcing the commitment to institutionalise this approach in tackling SOC. To date, approximately 1,500 beneficiaries across the four states have been diverted from potential involvement in organised crime,” Akande-Alegbe said.
Speaking at the meeting, the Acting British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Lever said Serious & Organised Crime is a priority for both Nigeria and the UK, and can take many forms.
These forms, he said: “Range from online focussed activities like cybercrime to the physical movement of illicit commodities and people in the form of trafficking. Our results in Nigeria have proven that the Prevent methodology works, and it has been successful in diverting young people from choosing a life of crime. I believe that the valuable discussions that took place today will smoothen the way for Prevent to be fully institutionalised in Nigeria”.
Akande-Alegbe concluded that the meeting included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Police Affairs, the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), INTERPOL, Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), Ministry of Police Affairs, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and others.
