Odita Sunday 
By Odita Sunday
The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Center (NPF-NCCC) and banks are stepping up cooperation to tackle financial crimes, with both sides calling for faster intelligence sharing and closer coordination when attacks occur.
The renewed push followed a meeting between the Assistant Inspector General of Police/Director, NPF-NCCC, AIG Akaninyene Ezima and the leadership of the Banks Chief Audit Executives (CAE), led by Mrs Aina Amah, Chairperson, Association of Chief Audit Executives of Banks in Nigeria, in Abuja.
The delegation visited the NPF-NCCC on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu to discuss ways of strengthening the existing relationship between the police and financial institutions.
For the banks, the meeting was an opportunity to seek stronger support from the police as financial crimes become more sophisticated and criminals continue to find new ways of targeting financial institutions.
The Chief Audit Executives commended the Centre for its efforts in tackling financial crimes and called for increased collaboration and intelligence sharing to help security agencies and banks respond more quickly to emerging threats.
Responding, Ezima said the police were ready to deepen their partnership with the banking sector, but stressed that effective investigations would depend largely on the willingness of banks to provide the necessary cooperation and information.
He urged financial institutions to work closely with the police whenever financial crimes are being investigated, noting that timely information could make a significant difference in identifying offenders and preventing further losses.
The NPF-NCCC Director also said the Centre would facilitate prompt joint incident drills with banks to prepare for and contain external attacks before they cause serious damage.
The engagement highlights the growing importance of cooperation between law enforcement and financial institutions as criminals increasingly use technology and other sophisticated methods to commit financial crimes.
About the Author
