ECOWAS Effort on Leadership and Diplomatic Strategy as a Panacea for Combating Crime between Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon

This study examined the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in providing leadership and diplomatic strategies for combating trans-border crime between Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon. The study was undertaken against the persistent challenges of smuggling, arms trafficking, terrorism, human trafficking, drug trafficking, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other forms of transnational criminality affecting the region. It examined ECOWAS leadership efforts, evaluated its diplomatic strategies, assessed the effectiveness of its security frameworks, identified challenges confronting regional anti-crime initiatives, and proposed measures to strengthen cooperation. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design and focused on stakeholders involved in border crime prevention and control, including security agencies and border communities in Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon. The study collected data from primary and secondary sources, including stakeholder information, books, journal articles, government publications, ECOWAS and African Union documents, newspapers and credible online sources. The findings revealed that ECOWAS plays an important role in promoting regional security through leadership, diplomatic engagement, intelligence sharing, joint border patrols and multinational security operations. Its security mechanisms, including the ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN), Counter-Terrorism Framework, Small Arms Convention and Free Movement Protocol, provide institutional support for combating trans-border crime. However, inadequate funding, porous borders, corruption, weak implementation, limited surveillance technology, poor infrastructure and inconsistent political commitment constrain their effectiveness. The study concludes that ECOWAS leadership and diplomatic strategies constitute a vital panacea, but their success depends on stronger political commitment, institutional capacity, resource allocation and sustained cooperation among member states.