Jane Salihu
The Nigeria Police Force and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) are set to deepen collaboration on forensic accounting, financial investigations and the prosecution of complex economic crimes.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, following a courtesy visit by the President and Chairman of Council of ICAN, Hajia Queensley Sofuratu Seghosime, mni, FCA, to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The meeting focused on strengthening the technical capacity of police investigators to tackle the growing sophistication of financial and economic crimes.
According to the statement, ICAN proposed structured collaboration with the Police, including forensic accounting certification programmes for investigators, specialised training for detectives and opportunities for cadets of the Police Academy to obtain the Accounting Technician Scheme for West Africa (ATSWA) certification.
The institute also proposed the establishment of a dedicated Police-ICAN response mechanism for high-profile financial fraud cases, which would bring professional accounting expertise into investigations, evidence development and prosecution.
The ICAN President congratulated Disu on his appointment as Inspector-General of Police and commended his administration’s focus on accountability, modernisation and institutional reform.
In his response, the IGP welcomed the proposed partnership, stressing that modern policing requires specialised knowledge and collaboration with professional institutions.
Disu also proposed a joint awareness campaign by the Police and ICAN to educate businesses and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) on fraud prevention, early detection and responsible financial practices.
The meeting was attended by the ICAN Registrar/Chief Executive, Dr. Lanre Olasunkanmi; Chairman, ICAN Abuja District, Mr. Emeka Okoroeze; and Mr. Adamu Yusuf, FCA.
The partnership is expected to strengthen the Police’s capacity to detect, investigate and prosecute sophisticated financial crimes while promoting greater professionalism and accountability in the fight against emerging forms of criminality.
