The Nigeria Police Force has joined forces with the Eagle Crime Awareness and Prevention Initiative (ECAPI) to launch an intensive three-day training program focused on enhancing intelligence gathering capabilities among security personnel and community members.
Strengthening Security Through Community Intelligence
Held in Lagos on Friday, the training program titled "Police-ECAPI Community Intelligence Gathering Training" was spearheaded by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun. The initiative aims to provide constant retraining for police personnel on intelligence collection methods that will boost capacity building in crime combat operations.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Benjamin Okolo, who leads the Force Intelligence Department, emphasized the critical importance of the training during his address. Represented by Assistant Commissioner of Police Idowu Jayeola from the Lagos State Command's State Intelligence Department, Okolo stated that effective intelligence gathering is essential to prevent crimes before they occur.
"The training on intelligence gathering was key to nip crime in the bud," Okolo declared, adding that criminal activities remain an unavoidable reality across all human communities.
Addressing Nigeria's Security Challenges
During his lecture on 'The role of community members in crime management; the need for a paradigm shift,' DIG Okolo presented sobering statistics about Nigeria's security situation. He revealed that Nigeria currently ranks as the 6th most terrorized country globally with 7.907 points on the 2024 Global Terrorism Index.
The security expert further highlighted that the International Monetary Fund has classified Nigeria as the 12th poorest country worldwide in terms of gross per capita income for 2025. Additionally, he noted that northern regions accounted for a staggering 75% of the nation's fatalities in 2023, primarily due to insurgency, rural banditry, and farmer-herder conflicts.
Okolo stressed that Nigeria's numerous security challenges demand a comprehensive, society-wide approach, emphasizing that "the police cannot do it alone" in the fight against crime.
Logical Reasoning in Crime Prevention
CSP Aminu Abdulsalam from the Lagos State Command's State Intelligence Department delivered a crucial presentation on "Logical reasoning in intelligence." He identified several essential logical skills for effective intelligence gathering, including:
- Deductive reasoning
- Inductive reasoning
- Abductive reasoning
- Dialogical reasoning
Abdulsalam emphasized that logical reasoning serves as the foundation for credible and actionable intelligence, enabling analysts to evaluate information objectively, identify patterns, and build sound conclusions while separating facts from assumptions.
ECAPI Founder and President Ambassador Samuel Eniola Adam commended the Nigeria Police Force and praised IGP Egbetokun's vision for creating a safer Nigeria. Adam explained that the training program aims to leverage the expertise of the Force Intelligence Department to train Special Private Detectives as investigators.
"These detectives will gather high-quality intelligence to support the police and other law enforcement agencies in combating crime and insecurity in the country," Adam stated. He emphasized that preventing crime proves more cost-effective than fighting it, noting that community members hold the best position to identify criminal elements living among them.
Reagan Onuoha, the National Training Coordinator for the Police and Lagos State Commander of ECAPI, described the initiative as more than just a capacity-building exercise. He characterized it as a transformative response to the growing need for community-led solutions to security challenges.
Trainee Joy Ogbeide expressed appreciation for ECAPI's efforts, describing the intelligence gathering training as "informative, educative, and impactful" in boosting environmental awareness. Ogbeide noted that the program aims to reduce criminal activities, drug abuse, and illegal operations to minimal levels.
The collaborative training represents a significant step toward strengthening Nigeria's security framework through enhanced community-police partnerships and improved intelligence capabilities.
