Katsina’s customs and security agencies are considering forming a combined unit to combat transnational crime

Katsina State’s security agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Army (NA), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), are working together to form a combined unit to tackle transnational crime.

In a statement released on Saturday, Katsina Customs Area Controller Tahir Balarabe revealed his position as superintendent of customs and public relations officer.

This comes after Mohammed Abubakar Umar, Controller of the NCS’s Katsina Area Command, paid a visit of goodwill to the state’s security offices.

The Controller pleaded with Brigadier-General Oluremi Ayobami Fadairo, commander of the 17th Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Katsina, for his assistance in reducing cross-border crime in the state.

For the state to rein in transborder crimes and other security difficulties, he argued for the establishment of a joint security taskforce and the establishment of reliable intelligence sharing across military and paramilitary services.

Since the beginning of time, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Customs Service have collaborated on border security, information exchange, and training. So, I’ve come to strengthen our bond and take things to the next level,” he explained.

In response, Fadairo affirmed that the Nigerian Army will maintain its close collaboration with the NCS in the fight against transnational crime, banditry, and other threats to security in the state.

The Controller met with the Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Abubakar Musa, at the State Police Command and assured him that the Customs Service is always willing to cooperate with law enforcement in order to improve the state’s commercial climate without sacrificing national security.

His words: “We are also going to resuscitate the joint security taskforce and other security measures that will help in nipping in the bud banditry and other crimes in the society”

CP Musa stated that the command would provide the NCS with the necessary cooperation and support to combat smuggling and other transborder crimes that impede the progress of development and lawful economic activity.

Crime, he claimed, has been greatly reduced because to cooperation amongst security forces in the state, particularly in the state’s most dangerous frontline local government areas like Katsina town.

People in Katsina are testifying that security has considerably improved as a result of this synergy. CP Musa elaborated, saying that the synergy shouldn’t be limited to only visiting each other but rather spread to the rest of the organization.

Umar, who then went to see Mohammed Adamu, the Controller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, where he again pushed for collaboration to stop what he called “economic saboteurs.”

He said the NCS wanted all security services in Nigeria to work together to share information, crack down on criminals, and keep the peace.

When asked about it, Controller Adamu said that the visit was an excellent way to strengthen cooperation amongst law enforcement authorities in the state.

Many of the foreigners, he said, had been sent back to their home countries after being discovered in a recent census by the Command. He explained that this was because their “stay in Katsina was not legal.”

Umar also met with officials from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCSo), and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Katsina State, all of whom expressed their eagerness to work together in any way possible to improve service delivery throughout the state.