The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2, AIG Adegoke Fayoade has called on all officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and, indeed, all Nigerians to rise to the moral and patriotic duty of safeguarding the nation’s economic resources, describing it as a ‘sacred call to serve and defend the country’s collective destiny.’
The Police Chief made this request when he delivered the keynote address at the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) Annual conference 2025.
The landmark event had several law enforcement chiefs from across the country in attendance. This includes the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa who is represented by AVM BR Mamman; the Minister of Police Affairs, Sen. Ibrahim Gaidam represented by the Head of Public Affairs, Bolaji Kazeem; the FRSC Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed represented by the Lagos Sector Commander, CC Kehinde Hamzat; the NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof. Ahmed Audi represented by the Lagos State Commandant Keshinro Sunday; the Executive Chairman of EFCC, Ola Olukoyede represented by the Head of Public Affairs, Lagos, DCE Ayo Oyewole; the Chairman of ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu SAN represented by the ICPC Commissioner, Chukwurah Alexander; the Commander, Enugu State Forest Guard, Dr. Akinbayo Olasoji; and the Commander of Ondo State Security Network (Amotekun), Amb. Akogun Adeleye.
Business, religious, and policy executives were also in attendance. These are the Managing Director/CEO, Smithcrown Construction, Dr. Chris Agbede; the Chairman of POCACOV in Lagos, Dr. Chris Oladimeji and his wife; the Pastor of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Prof. Sesan Oniyide who represented the General Overseer, Prof. D.K Olukoya.
Speaking on the theme ‘Securing and Safeguarding Nigeria’s Economic Resources: A Call to Serve’, AIG Adegoke Fayoade iterated that the real challenge confronting Nigeria is not scarcity of wealth but the failure to protect and prudently manage it. ‘To secure these assets,’ he said, ‘is to safeguard the nation’s future; to serve in this mission is to defend the economic integrity of our people.’
The AIG who also won a distinguished award at the event also argued that despite Nigeria’s vast natural endowments, including over 37 billion barrels of oil, 209 trillion cubic feet of gas, and rich mineral deposits, the country continues to grapple with ‘the paradox of poverty amid plenty.’
According to the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) data, Fayoade revealed that Nigeria loses over US$26 billion annually to oil theft, illicit financial flows, and illegal mining.’The persistent loss of national wealth,’ he warned, ‘is not just an economic issue but a threat to national security and sovereignty. Every act of oil theft, cybercrime, or smuggling weakens the very fabric of the state.’
The Police chief in charge of Lagos and Ogun States, Fayoade insisted that the security of the economic resource must now be viewed as a pillar of national defense. ‘When a nation’s wealth is plundered, unemployment rises, poverty deepens, and political fragility sets in. Conversely, when resources are protected, stability flourishes, and public confidence thrives,’ he asserted.
Calling for a paradigm shift within the Police, he urged the Force to evolve ‘beyond traditional enforcement into intelligence-led, technology-driven policing that anticipates and disrupts economic crimes before they metastasize.’
He proposed a five-pillar strategy built on intelligence-led policing, inter-agency collaboration, public-private partnerships, ethical reorientation, and technology integration. To this end, he suggested the creation of a National Economic Resource Protection Task Force involving the Police, EFCC, ICPC, NSCDC, Customs, and NFIU to enhance intelligence sharing and coordinated responses to economic sabotage.
‘The Police must be seen not just as law enforcers, but as guardians of national prosperity,’ he said.
‘Our badge must represent not only authority but stewardship. It is a shield of national service and moral integrity.’AIG Fayoade also highlighted the growing sophistication of threats from cyber-enabled financial crimes costing NG₦127 billion annually to illegal mining and terrorism disrupting food security. He called for adaptive policing that is ‘preventive, intelligence-based, and technologically empowered.’
In his closing charge, Fayoade urged every Nigerian officer and citizen to embrace a renewed sense of duty. ‘Securing our economic resources is not a bureaucratic function, it is a moral covenant. The ethical revolution begins with us, in the choices we make and the accountability we uphold.’
Reaffirming his creed, AIG Adegoke Fayoade concluded: ‘To serve and protect must now mean to secure and sustain – to defend not just our people, but the very wealth upon which their future depends. Let this be our call to serve.’