UK-Nigeria Partnership Strengthened To Combat Fraud

The United Kingdom says it has taken a significant step to strengthen its partnership with Nigeria to combat fraud, detect and deter financial crimes.

The British High Commission in Nigeria made this known in a statement yesterday.

It said that a new joint action plan had been agreed upon, focusing on intelligence sharing, trend analysis, and joint performance monitoring to protect citizens from financial losses and increasingly sophisticated fraud threats.

The commission said the agreement was reached during a meeting between UK Minister for Fraud, Lord Hanson and Nigerian officials, including Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

The Minister for Fraud, UK’s Lord Hanson, was quoted as saying fraud ruined lives and stripped people of their savings, confidence and sense of security.

The minister highlighted the importance of international partnerships in tackling fraud, noting that many of these crimes originated overseas.

“The joint action plan will enable both countries to better identify and stop fraud before it happens, crack down on criminals who exploit systems, and ultimately protect the public from the devastating impact of fraud, ” the minister said.

Also, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, stressed the need for sustained commitment to protect societies from fraud, stating that building on the foundation of past successes, it was necessary to confront crime with great seriousness.

Nick Sharp, Deputy Director of Fraud at the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), highlighted the significance of international cooperation, noting that over 70 per cent of fraud impacting the UK was estimated to have originated overseas or had overseas links.

The commission said that the UK-Nigeria Fraud Dialogue was launched in November 2024 to further strengthen the two nations’ shared commitment to combating fraud.

It said that the partnership underscored the shared commitment of both nations to tackling a threat that causes significant harm to citizens.

According to the commission, by sharing vital intelligence and conducting joint operations, the UK and Nigeria aim to strengthen their collective response to fraud and bring criminals to justice.

It said that the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and Nigeria’s Office of the National Security Adviser would work together on joint law enforcement operations.

It said that targeted training for Nigerian prosecutors would also be provided by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office.