In a bold move to address the growing issue of money laundering and illicit financial flows, the International Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has introduced a new initiative called ‘Silver Notices.’ The announcement was made by Garba Baba Umar, Interpol Vice President for Africa, during the opening of a four-day training workshop for Nigerian law enforcement agencies at the EFCC Academy in Abuja.
Umar emphasized the alarming scale of money laundering across Africa and globally, noting that it contributes to increased crime, including drug trafficking, fraud, and corruption. He highlighted that “every hour, hundreds of thousands of dollars are laundered out of Nigeria,” exacerbating criminal activities and harming the economy.
The ‘Silver Notices’ initiative aims to make it more challenging for criminals to launder illicit funds worldwide. The workshop, themed “Strengthening Capacity and Coordination against Financial Crimes,” is focused on equipping law enforcement with the skills needed to combat these transnational crimes effectively.
EFCC Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede, represented by Francis Usani, stressed the importance of collaboration in fighting corruption, while Japanese Ambassador Kazuyoshi Matsunaga underscored the need for international cooperation in tackling financial crimes.
The workshop, a collaboration between INTERPOL and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), also featured insights from Hafsat Bakare, Director General of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and Isaac Kehinde Oginni, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre. Both emphasized the critical role of financial intelligence in dismantling criminal networks.
This first-of-its-kind workshop, running until August 1, includes participants from various Nigerian law enforcement agencies, aiming to bolster national and cross-agency efforts in combating financial crime.
