By Comfort Nkong
Organized crime has been identified as one of the main drivers of insecurity in Nigeria, posing an acute threat to its people, economy and environment.
According to a release by Chioma Ekene- Ugwu , Communications officer UNODC, In a report launched by the National Institute of Security Studies and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime tagged ‘Organized Crime in Nigeria: A Threat Assessment’ on the occasion of the annual conference of the Heads of Drugs Law Enforcement Agency Africa hosted this year by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Abuja, cultism, maritime crime, kidnapping, the manufacturing and trafficking of illicit drugs, wildlife and forestry crimes, the trafficking in persons, and the smuggling of migrants were key thematic areas of crime pinpointed.
The report also stated that “Nigeria’s strategic location along global shipping routes between the Americas, Europe and Asia, its large-scale transport infrastructure and its porous borders make it an attractive target for criminal organizations that use the country as a base and transit point for their operations”.
“Youth unemployment and widespread multidimensional poverty provide a large pool of potential recruits for criminal organizations”.
It also blamed governance gaps which it said ” combined with an abundance of natural resources often located in remote areas offer strong incentives for engaging in criminal activities”. Also included in the blame were ” overburdened law enforcement and security agencies pose limited risks to the operations and profits of criminal organizations”.
The report further posited that “Drug markets have undergone multiple changes, with Nigeria no longer being only a transit country for cocaine and heroin but having also become a major market for drugs, in particular pharmaceutical opioids, and a producer of cannabis and methamphetamine” which is a grave danger especially given the alarming increased rate of drug abuse in Nigeria.
Chioma further said aside recommendations aimed at forging a coherent approach to preventing organized crime, protecting the victims, pursuing and prosecuting the actors, and promoting partnerships and collaboration a call to action for relevant stakeholders to join hands and change the status quo was made.
“By dedicating our collective talent, energy and resources to this task, we can defeat the scourge of organized crime and give Nigeria the prosperous future it deserves,” noted A.S. Adeleke, head of the National Institute of Security Studies, while presenting the report at the launch event.
The release says the study aims to improve our collective understanding of illegal markets in Nigeria and the structures and modus operandi of criminal groups operating in and out of the country.
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