Laraba MUREY
The British Government has deepened its partnership with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to curb organised immigration crimes affecting both the United Kingdom and Nigeria.
This was made known in a statement released on Tuesday by the ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare.
According to the statement, a delegation from the British Home Office International Operations Team paid a courtesy visit to the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, where both parties reaffirmed their commitment to joint action against transnational crimes.
The ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), was represented at the meeting by the Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu (DSSR). He noted that the Commission remained open to strategic partnerships that would enhance its capacity to fight corruption, especially crimes that cross borders.
Oparaodu said the ICPC would continue to provide institutional support and contribute its expertise, particularly through digital forensic services and data analysis from electronic devices — tools that are critical to tracking complex immigration fraud.
On his part, the leader of the British delegation, Mr. Cora Oakley, who is also the International Liaison Officer, explained that the visit was aimed at briefing the Commission on the progress and focus of the Organized Immigration Crime Unit (OICU).
He described the unit as a collaborative effort involving seasoned investigators and prosecutors from both Nigeria and the UK to dismantle criminal networks exploiting the immigration systems.
Oakley noted that the OICU had already recorded successes, including arrests of key suspects and disruption of illegal operations. He praised Nigerian agencies, especially the ICPC, for their role in these achievements.
He also disclosed that the UK had provided the OICU with training programmes, investigative software, operational tools, and a vehicle to enhance the unit’s effectiveness.
According to him, “The UK Government remains committed to addressing abuse of its immigration and visa systems. Continuous knowledge sharing and collaboration with Nigerian authorities is vital.”
Oakley further announced plans to scale up investigator training and revealed that the ICPC had been selected to participate in the upcoming UK-Nigeria bilateral talks later this year.
He said past collaborations with the ICPC had helped shape joint strategies, and the forthcoming Immigration Crime Summit in the UK would provide another opportunity to share experiences and build stronger cooperation.
The visit ended with a renewed commitment to strengthen operational ties and consolidate progress made in the fight against organised immigration crime.
