In response to rising security challenges across West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has renewed its commitment to stronger regional policing coordination. This renewed effort was at the heart of the ECOWAS Police Focal Point Officers meeting held in Abuja, bringing together senior police officials from the 15 member states.
The high-level gathering focused on bolstering regional preparedness for peace support operations under the ECOWAS Standby Force, with an emphasis on improving cross-border collaboration, intelligence sharing, and rapid deployment capabilities.
Chairman of the session, the Inspector General of Sierra Leone Police, William Fayia Sellu, represented by Deputyu IG Sahr Senesi, stressed the need for a deployment-ready and adaptive police operational roster that aligns with the realities of the region’s evolving threats.
Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, through his representative ACP Aniagboso Chinedum, hailed the meeting as a critical platform to deepen West African security integration. He noted that lasting peace in the region would depend heavily on enhanced inter-agency synergy and consistent training of police units.
Participants also reviewed ongoing training programs and assessed the deployment readiness of police contingents across member states. A key highlight was the call for stronger inter-agency collaboration at border points, with Sierra Leone cited as a model for effective cross-agency cooperation.
