The Nigerian federal government reportedly deployed IT-based surveillance on the country’s border to curb the outrage of criminal activity on the Nigerian border. All the border locations in Nigeria are set to be equipped with e-border surveillance cameras to monitor the smuggling of illegal immigrants, foods, goods, and other incriminating transactions on the country’s border.
Nigeria has over eighty-four borders actively importing and exporting both living and nonliving things out of the country. The Nigerian border control plans to link e-border surveillance cameras to curb illegal activities. The e-border surveillance system solutions are said to be real-time operations as well as focusing on the information and Communications Technology (ICT) systems to keep the surveillance cameras online at all times.
The Nigeria federal government Acting Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Alhaji Isah Idris confirmed the e-border surveillance solutions will be ready for installation across the entire borders of Nigeria. The federal government also promised that these surveillance cameras will commence operations in the Q2 of 2022.
The Federal Government signed the e-border agreement with a Chinese Company to supply cameras in about 84 locations of our borders, to use ICT as a tool to monitor our borders, because our borders are massive. So, it is only with ICT that we can monitor our borders effectively — Idris said.
Techbooky.Africa picked up the news Idris disclosed to the Control Post Command in Akwa Ibom’s local government area, Ibaka Mbo. The acting NIS comptroller confirmed the e-border surveillance solutions will be ideal to curb criminal border activities. Idris also noted the federal government signed an agreement with the Chinese technology company for the installation of these e-border surveillance solutions across the Nigerian borders.
Of course, ICT requires money and we are going to be all-time online. The President has equally approved the construction of our data communications center in Abuja. It is a pilot product where we can view what is happening at Ilala in Sokoto live. If they have connected Ibaka to our communications centre, you can see what we are doing here, real-time online surveillance solutions. That’s what the Government is doing.
Idris continued with optimism that “the Government is doing well and it requires the support of the communities. Support of the Nigerians to achieve complete security of the nation. I assure you by the second quarter of this year the implementation will start.’’
The federal government intervention in safeguarding the country’s border and its citizens’ safety was derived from the border feedback community of legitimate Nigerian migrants. The current state of the Nigerian border is porous and prone to criminal border activities — especially the federal government’s inability to control terrorism, human smuggling, drug trafficking, etc. By the Q2 of 2022, the Nigerian border is covered with electronic surveillance cameras with motion sensors.
