The security dividends of collaboration between police services of Ghana and Nigeria as well as others in the global village cannot be overlooked.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director General, Lydia Yaako Donkor, recently engaged their New York and Nigerian counterparts respectively, collaborations which are intended to enhance the fight against international crime.
With international and cross-border crimes now assuming an all-time high in terms of complexity and dexterity thanks to the advancement in technology, collaborations between the police forces of countries to complement the existing Interpol protocols are steps in the right direction.
In July this year, the Nigerian Police Force rescued 76 Ghanaians trafficked to that country by scammers, as local law enforcement officers did same for 57 Nigerians trafficked to Ghana.
The list of collaborations between Ghana and Nigeria is long and shows how criminals are exploiting cross-border criminalities.
A couple of days ago, Ghanaians and indeed their Nigerian counterparts woke up to the exhilarating news of the arrest of a Nigerian murder suspect in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
This feat could not have happened without a public supported intelligence.
It is for this reason that we ask that the police develop a deliberate and enhanced linkage with the public in their areas of jurisdictions. This way, important information about international crime suspects who take cover in such areas can easily be smoked out.
But for the intelligence provided by the public, Victor Benjamin Fajemirokun would have lived in his hideout for a long time and perhaps permanently relocating here. Who knows whether given his suspected bloody record he could not have engaged in further crimes in the country?
A person suspected of being behind the abduction and murder of a female officer of the Nigerian Federal Road Safety Corps and her daughter is not one who should be allowed safe haven in this country.
It would be instructive to know details of his host in Akyem Wenchi, a suburb of Akwatia in the Eastern Region where he lived until his arrest. The police of course know what to do under the circumstances and would definitely leave no stone unturned in quizzing the host.
We are compelled to think that it is possible that there are other wanted Nigerians sheltering here among their compatriots.
We have taken notice of efforts by the leadership of the Nigerian community to ensure that citizens of their country living here do not engage in criminal activities. After all, there are many productive Nigerian citizens living here with impeccable records.
We wish to encourage the leadership of the Nigerian community to report their compatriots who they suspect of being criminals to the law enforcement authorities.
We recall the Ghana Immigration Service call on landlords to ensure that prospective tenants are not illegals with criminal records; the call stands.
No information is too trivial when it comes to supporting the law enforcement agencies to fight crime. Suspicious strangers in the neighbourhood should be studied and where they do not pass the good persons criteria, they should be reported to the police or the immigration authorities for the necessary action.