As Nigeria continues to reel from the relentless onslaught of banditry, kidnapping, and communal violence, the question becomes ever more urgent: How can we truly guarantee national security in an age of advanced technology and unprecedented threats?
Recent events in Plateau and Benue states, where scores of innocent citizens were slaughtered in brutal, unprovoked attacks by unknown gunmen, have again exposed the glaring weaknesses in Nigeria’s security architecture. These incidents are neither isolated nor unexpected. Rather, they are part of a disturbing trend of mass killings and massacres that have become tragically routine across Nigeria, from the Middle Belt to the North-West and beyond.
In the not-too-far past, bandits stormed several communities across the North-West and North-East, taking away Nigerians as hostages. The brazen demand by the kidnappers is a reminder of how emboldened and well-coordinated these criminal gangs have become.
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While President Bola Tinubu has firmly stated that the Federal Government will not pay ransoms, which is in line with global best practices to deter the financing of terrorism, the big question remains: what is being done to prevent such abductions and attacks in the first place?
Nigeria’s problem is not merely the courage of its security personnel or the lack of political will, though both have at times been questioned, but rather the failure to adequately incorporate modern technology into our security operations. Security experts have long emphasised that this nation, in its fight against criminality, cannot continue to rely solely on outdated, reactive measures when the world has moved on to real-time intelligence, drone surveillance, and predictive data analytics.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigerians paid a total of N2.23 trillion as ransom over a 12-month period of between May 2023 and April 2024.
This sum was paid by households affected by kidnapping incidents, as an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents were recorded across Nigerian households in the reference period. This represents not just a human tragedy but a thriving criminal economy built on the grief of everyday Nigerians.
The recent massacre in Benue and Plateau further illustrates a larger national failure: these attacks could potentially have been anticipated or preempted through the use of surveillance drones, CCTV networks, satellite imaging, and signal intelligence (need for constant electricity supply). Countries around the world deploy such tools not only for warfare but also for crime prevention, public safety, and disaster management. Why can’t Nigeria?
“The deployment of drones, especially those with Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capabilities, could allow security operatives to monitor difficult terrains and forest hideouts where many of these criminals operate with impunity.”
The deployment of drones, especially those with Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capabilities, could allow security operatives to monitor difficult terrains and forest hideouts where many of these criminals operate with impunity. They can provide real-time intelligence that guides patrol routes, identifies threats before they escalate, and allows for strategic preemptive strikes.
Similarly, a robust network of CCTV surveillance systems in vulnerable communities and urban centres could serve as both a deterrent and a tool for early detection of suspicious movements. Coupled with facial recognition software and automated number plate recognition (ANPR), the police and military would be better equipped to track movements, identify culprits, and respond swiftly.
Indeed, the Nigerian government has previously invested in some of these technologies, but their limited deployment and questionable maintenance have greatly undermined their utility. More concerning, however, is the lack of a unified national database that integrates all arms of our security agencies with biometric records, criminal history, and citizen identification. This digital void allows criminals to operate across state lines, sometimes even with official cover or forged identities.
It is encouraging to note that nations like the United States and others have offered support to Nigeria in addressing these growing security concerns. The government must seize this opportunity with strategic openness. Partnerships in the area of intelligence sharing, technology transfer, and counter-terrorism training can only bolster our internal capabilities.
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We know international help is not a silver bullet; Nigeria must also get serious about developing local capacity. We have the tech talent, the engineers, the drone designers, the software developers, and the cybersecurity experts. What we need is the political will to prioritise technology in our national security budget and a culture of accountability to ensure these tools are not misused or wasted.
As communities across Plateau and Benue and other parts mourn their dead and count their losses, and as families in Kaduna, Zamfara, and Niger states await the safe return of their loved ones, the message to the Federal Government is clear – the time to modernise our national security system is now. Failure to do so will not only embolden our enemies but further alienate the citizens from a state that appears incapable of protecting them.
Technology is not just a luxury or a foreign concept. It is an indispensable tool in securing lives, restoring peace, and rebuilding trust in the Nigerian state. In this fight, delay is not just dangerous but very deadly.
