By Illah Michael Ojodomo
The most unsavory detail of how high-rising kidnapping cases have held the country by the scruff of the neck can be easily traced to the recent abduction of a family of six in Abuja and the killing of one of the sisters, Nabeeha, following the father’s inability to pay the required ransom of ₦60 million.
In the mix of the distressing trend, reports continue to emerge questioning how well the security agencies have fared in curbing kidnap cases despite admonitions by President Bola Tinubu. Even, Nigerians are now resorting to crowdfunding for ransom on social media to secure the freedom of their family members, relatives, and friends in what the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has now described as one of the largest sources of terrorism financing in the country.
As this crisis continues to escalate, there is an urgent need for Nigeria to adopt innovative technological solutions to enhance its ability to prevent, respond to, and mitigate the impact of kidnappings. This is not unrelated to the fact that one of the primary challenges in combating kidnapping is the vast and diverse geography of Nigeria, which makes traditional security measures less effective. Regardless, leveraging technology can help bridge this gap by providing comprehensive surveillance, early warning systems, and quick response mechanisms.
The worrisome trend captured in the 2023 Nigeria Security Report released by Beacon Consulting, an intelligence and security risk consulting firm, showed that between January and December 2023, there were 4,049 occurrences of kidnapping nationwide and 9,754 confirmed deaths. These figures are scary as they are staggering!
Experts and resource persons in the Nigerian tech industry have continued to offer their two cents on the menace of kidnapping in Nigeria which has reached an epidemic proportion, although hitherto confined to highways and rural communities, has now spread to residential areas and other urban centers.
In a 2021 report, TechCabal cited that two Nigerian schoolgirls, Chioma Abone and Emmanuela Ilok, had developed an anti-kidnapping technology that could help tackle kidnapping in the country. According to the report, the solution was a company called Paramount Guard which included an app called AirGuard bearing wearable devices, both of which were designed to alert family members and friends of the wearer whenever they were in critical situations.
The urgency for the adoption of various anti-kidnapping tech tools to stem the worrisome tide of kidnapping has been laud and far-ranging. Some of these can be traced to advocacy for the advancement of real-time tracking apps, facial recognition, and community-driven alert systems for verification, identification, and investigation, which have, in the right usage, set countries like China, the UK, and the USA apart in the fight against kidnapping and related crimes.
Fielding questions from The Punch newspaper as published on 21st January 2024, Dr Joseph Oche, an AI expert and tech advisor highlighted tools that could be used to tackle kidnapping in Nigeria, making a case for the use of encrypted communication channels, advanced radio systems, and data analytics for effective analysis of patterns and trends in kidnapping incidents by law enforcement agencies.
Beyond the purported summon of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike by the Nigerian Senate to explore ways to resolve insecurity, particularly in the FCT, efforts must be upheld towards cutting the piercing talons of insecurity across the country. Conversations can be woven around integrating cutting-edge solutions and building more resilient and responsive frameworks to counteract the escalating threats.
Governments across levels must show character by investing in Nigeria’s fast-rising tech industry to engender deliberate anti-kidnapping strategies through advanced surveillance technologies such as drones, satellite imagery, and smart cameras coupled with improved training and capacity-building programs for security personnel. This will significantly enhance the ability to monitor remote and high-risk areas in the country for sustainable development.
Illah Michael Ojodomo is a Journalist. He writes from Kaduna, Nigeria.