By Lucy Adautin
President Bola Tinubu on Friday welcomed the Director of the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Christopher Asher Wray to the State House in Abuja, assuring him that Nigeria is making significant efforts to eradicate terrorism, cybercrime, and other criminal activities.
During their meeting, Tinubu emphasized the need for collaboration between Nigeria and other West African nations to effectively combat regional crime.
“We are working hard to eliminate terrorism, cybercrimes, sextortion, and I am glad that we have a good number of agencies that are involved in reducing these crimes to the barest minimum, and they are also well represented at this meeting,” Tinubu was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale.
“’We cannot achieve this important feat of eliminating crimes without collaboration. Incidentally, as the Chairman of ECOWAS, Nigeria is also collaborating with other West African countries to fight economic and other related crimes.
“It is an honour for me to receive Director Christopher Wray, the leader of an organization that has demonstrated consistent procedural sophistication and a reputation for excellence over several years. Your visit conveys the importance of Nigeria and Nigerian partnership in the work of America’s law enforcement institutions and vice-versa. For us, it is a recognition of what stage we are at, who we are, and the level of interest both countries share in eliminating crimes locally and globally.”
President Tinubu emphasized that his administration is prioritizing education as a key tool against poverty, which is widely seen as a major driver of criminal activities.
Highlighting the necessity of international cooperation to tackle financial crimes, Tinubu urged the United States to assist developing countries by providing the necessary technology and knowledge transfer to address complex international crimes.
FBI Director Wray, in his remarks, stated that his visit aimed to strengthen the “outstanding partnership” between the governments of Nigeria and the United States.
