Abia Police Begin 10-Day Cybercrime Training for Officers

Abia Police Begin 10-Day Cybercrime Training for Officers

The Abia State Police Command has commenced a 10-day cybercrime capacity-building training workshop aimed at strengthening the professional skills of its officers and enhancing intelligence-led policing in the state.

The training, which began on Monday, September 7, 2026, was flagged off by the Commissioner of Police, Abia State Command, CP Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolabi  in collaboration with the Cyber Shield Africa Initiative.

Participants were drawn from the Command’s Cybercrime Section, State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), State Intelligence Bureau (SIB), and Violent Crime Response Unit Intelligence (VCRU), as well as officers from sister security agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Addressing participants at the commencement of the workshop, CP Afolabi appreciated the Cyber Shield Africa Initiative for its support, noting that a review of the Command’s operational structure had revealed the need to strengthen its capacity to combat cybercrime.

The Commissioner said financial and cybercrimes remained among the prevalent offences, particularly in Aba, a major commercial hub where digital security was as important as physical safety.

He said the Command was committed to making Abia State a hostile environment for identity theft, impersonation, financial fraud and other cyber-related crimes.

According to him, tackling emerging cyber threats requires modern skills and techniques, which informed the engagement of experts to equip officers with globally relevant investigative competencies.

CP Afolabi expressed confidence that the training would improve the participants’ capacity to perform their duties professionally and efficiently.

He urged the officers to remain focused, disciplined and fully committed throughout the training, stressing that continuous training and retraining were essential to effective policing.

He added that untrained personnel could pose risks to themselves, their organisation and the members of the public they were deployed to protect.

The Commissioner said the initiative was ultimately aimed at strengthening public safety and improving the overall security of Abia State.