The office of tbe National Security Adviser (NSA) and Police authorities on Tuesday called for intensified joint operations and intelligence sharing across agencies, describing them as essential to national stability in an era of intertwined economic and security crises.
Speaking at the National Economic Council conference in Abuja, representatives from the NSA’s office and the Nigeria Police Force positioned security not merely as an enforcement issue, but as a pillar of economic diversification and social cohesion.
The session, moderated by retired General Martin Luther Agwai, former chief of Defence Staff, highlighted a doctrinal shift under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope National Development Plan for 2026-2030.
Speaking on behalf of the NSA, the Minister of Defence General Christopher Musa, outlined accelerated efforts since 2023 to harmonise mandates, fuse intelligence and align security with development goals.
He said “Insecurity and economic decline feed off each other,” he warned, citing terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, organised crime and cyber threats as drags on investment and public trust.
Musa also emphasised a move beyond “force alone”, advocating intelligence fusion, inter-agency coordination and technology such as surveillance systems and biometrics.
Closer ties between the armed forces, intelligence services and police, he said, were already sharpening situational awareness and response times.
In his remarks, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) Frank Mba, who represented the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, described a cultural pivot from rivalry to “collective progress”.
Modern crimes—often cross-border and data-linked—demand unified action, he said, with joint exercises and shared platforms enabling predictive policing.
