The West Africa Network for Peace Building WANEP, is advocating a strict implementation of the West African Biometric Identity cards to help fight cross-border crimes in the sub-region.
According to the network, data sharing between the ECOWAS countries will help them effectively deal with notorious criminals who carry out their operations across the borders.
This comes after the arrest of the notorious Nigerian kidnapper in Nigeria, who revealed he had properties in Ghana and holds a Ghanaian passport.
The suspect, Chikwudubem Onwuamadike, who also uses Evans, was nabbed June 10, 2017 at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport while he was about to leave the country.
The arrest has generated a lot of talk about crimes committed across borders and how security agencies in the sub-region collaborate to address them.
Speaking to the media on the development, the Executive Director of WANEP, Chukwuemeka Eze, said the implementation of the ECOWAS Biometric ID by Sub-Regional leaders will go a long way in fighting crime.
“We need to have a situation where a crime in Ghana is a crime in Nigeria, and therefore we have a community in dealing with crime and criminality. It is important to see the wisdom in the ECOWAS biometric identity card which means that every citizen of the community identity will be centralized so that if you are coming into Ghana, it should be possible for Ghanaian authorities to know where you are coming from, and who you are, and vice versa,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General for the Nigeria Police Service, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, has said the arrest reveals the urgent need for bilateral intelligence sharing between countries.
He also urged Ghana’s security agencies to closely monitor the wife and other family members of the suspect who are currently in Ghana to ensure that a comprehensive investigation is carried out, and other accomplices brought to book.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
