IGP Egbetokun meets border commanders in Abuja, orders monthly reports on security operations.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has directed commanders of the Border Patrol Section of the Nigeria Police Force to submit monthly operational reports, warning that failure to comply will be treated as dereliction of duty.
Speaking at a meeting with senior border commanders in Abuja on Thursday, the IGP said the reports must detail arms and drug seizures, contraband interceptions, human trafficking disruptions, and victim rescues.
“The absence of records will not be interpreted as peace or inactivity, but as failure of duty,” he declared.
Egbetokun described Nigeria’s borders as the “doors of the nation”, stressing that their porosity has long been exploited by arms smugglers, drug cartels, traffickers, and terrorists. He urged officers to see themselves as “sentinels at the edges of Nigeria’s sovereignty.”
Highlighting the evolving nature of transnational crime, he noted that criminal networks are well-funded and technologically advanced, using drones, falsified documents, and encrypted systems to evade security agencies.
He said policing must move beyond reactive measures:
“To win, we must anticipate, innovate, and outthink those who seek to harm us.”
The IGP recalled last year’s seizure of 800 rifles and 100,000 rounds of ammunition from Turkey, crediting intelligence and collaboration for preventing what could have been one of the deadliest influxes of arms into Nigeria.
He urged commanders to strengthen grassroots intelligence by building trust with border communities.
“A single phone call from a villager can prevent a massacre,” he said.
While acknowledging the hardships faced by officers, Egbetokun assured that their welfare is a priority, with ongoing efforts to improve mobility, housing, insurance, and operational support. He also paid tribute to fallen officers, describing them as “heroes whose sacrifices will never be forgotten.”
The IGP expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Ministry of Police Affairs, ECOWAS, the African Union, INTERPOL, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for backing Nigeria’s border security reforms.
He concluded with a charge:
“Every patrol you order, every checkpoint you mount, every network you dismantle must show that Nigeria’s borders are defended. Let history record that the Border Patrol Section rose to the challenge and made our country proud.”
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