Ghana and Nigeria Police form joint task force to tackle human trafficking and cybercrime

The Ghana Police Service and the Nigerian Police Force have reaffirmed their joint commitment to intensifying efforts against human trafficking and other transnational crimes across West Africa.

This follows a high-level bilateral meeting held in Abuja, Nigeria, on Friday, November 7, aimed at deepening cooperation between the two countries’ law enforcement agencies.

The meeting was co-chaired by the Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, and the Deputy Inspector-General of the Nigeria Police Force, Sadiq I. Abubakar, mni, PhD.

It brought together senior officials from law enforcement, immigration, intelligence, and diplomatic institutions from both nations.

Discussions centred on emerging forms of human trafficking, their growing connection to cybercrime, and the urgent need for stronger regional collaboration to address the rising number of victims across the sub-region.

DIG Abubakar praised COP Donkor for her proactive role in proposing the meeting during the INTERPOL Africa Regional Conference in South Africa earlier this year. COP Donkor, in response, expressed gratitude to the Nigerian authorities for their collaboration and reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to strengthening intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement actions.

Both sides agreed to establish a Joint Task Force (JTF) to handle cross-border trafficking cases, appoint focal officers for real-time information exchange, and develop standard protocols for victim repatriation and referral.

They also resolved to roll out joint public awareness campaigns targeting youth and border communities and to convene a high-level meeting of West African Police Chiefs to harmonise regional strategies against trafficking.

The meeting concluded with the signing of a communiqué, reaffirming the shared commitment of Ghana and Nigeria to dismantle human trafficking networks, protect victims, and sustain bilateral dialogue within the frameworks of ECOWAS and INTERPOL.

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