The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) played host to the Prevent Advisory Board (PAB) drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) as well as the Torchlight Group from the United Kingdom on 14th September, 2022. The gathering was part of the efforts of Government to collaborate with relevant stakeholders at both local and international levels to prevent young persons from being recruited into serious and organised crime.
PREVENT is the concept of providing alternative opportunities to those most likely to join criminal organisations, helping to PREVENT them from contributing to future crime that damages Nigeria’s economy. The UK has proven PREVENT to be an important part of the policing response to organised crime and has demonstrated how community engagement through important community partners can help reduce the scale and severity of criminal activity.
This programme, with support from the Nigerian Government, the UK Home Office and British High Commission in Nigeria, will support Federal agencies and the Nigerian Police Force adapt PREVENT methodologies to suit Nigeria and then introduce their practice to help fight serious and organised crime. The goal is to reduce the harmful impact serious and organised crime has on Nigeria’s economy, institutions, and people.
The programme is a pilot being delivered in 4 states, selected based on the findings of a research phase, designed to test the suitability of PREVENT for the Nigerian context and to tackle important organised crime challenges identified during the research phase. The project will last 3 years.
