Recognition of the achievements of the joint investigation team of Niger

Niamey has hosted a ceremony to present an official testimony of satisfaction to the members of the Joint Investigation Team (ECI-Niger). The ceremony took place at the General Directorate for Territory Surveillance and was chaired by the General Commissioner of Police, Souley Boubacar, representing the Minister of the Interior and Public Security. The commissioner highlighted the excellent results obtained to date and congratulated the entire team for the quality of services. Special congratulations were given to the chiefs of police from the three member countries: Abdoul Salam Moumouni, Niger Police Commissioner, Fernando Guerrero of the Policía Nacional from Spain, and Patrick Muscat of the French Police. This official testimony of satisfaction is an acknowledgement of the State of Niger for its strong involvement in achieving the results obtained. 

In his speech, Souley Boubacar highlighted some of the results obtained by the ECI-Niger Team to combat human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants, including more than 475 arrests and the seizure of 185 falsified documents and more than 100 vehicles from alleged traffickers. In addition, several cooperation actions have been carried out with countries of the subregion such as Nigeria, Benin and Senegal. Actions that have contributed to the dismantling of international and national networks.  

Very pleased, Fernando Guerrero, an officer from the Policía Nacional from Spain, thanked the Nigerian authorities for their constant availability without forgetting to mention the excellent collaboration with his colleagues from Niger and France within ECI-Niger. 

The ECI-Niger project, funded by the European Union, aims to strengthen the fight against criminal networks linked to illegal immigration, human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants. Police officers from Niger, Spain and France are participating in this project, which is coordinated by FIIAPP. The project represents an innovative collaboration model based on a police cooperation protocol between the participating police forces. Strong operational results have led to the creation of other similar projects in the West African region.