In Nigeria, the security crisis ongoing since 2009 has increased the crime rate.  To effectively deal with the problem, the government suggests the adoption of new technologies. 

Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (photo) has called on the Nigerian military to leverage digital tools to effectively combat terrorism and other forms of insecurity in the country. The official made that suggestion on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at the 32nd convocation ceremony of officer cadets of 69 Regular Course and postgraduate students of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA)

"[...] It is clear that we cannot secure or defend a country of this size with human assets alone; we must leverage technology. [...] At a time when national resources are stretched thin, we have to come up with technology-driven solutions to address our security needs. [...] We must become savvier in the deployment of Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tools to complement our human resources,” he said. 

Apart from the terror unleashed by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria since 2009, the country faces other threats such as organized crime and cybercrime. To address this, the federal government developed a national cybersecurity policy and strategy (NCPS 2021) and established a computer emergency response team (ngCERT) and a national digital forensics laboratory.

Like several other countries, Nigeria has adopted biometrics, which helps reduce identity theft, as well as facial recognition embedded in video surveillance systems in some major cities.

With Nigeria's digital transformation firmly underway, Yemi Osinbajo believes “there is no doubt that the digital domain is one of the frontiers” that the new generation of armed forces “will be increasingly tasked to defend.” 

Samira Njoya