Kidnapping has become a major security concern in Nigeria, with criminals operating brazenly despite the implementation of various technological measures to improve national security.
These measures include SIM card registration, the National Identity Number (NIN) enrolment, the NIN-SIM Registration exercise, and the NigComSat-1R Communications satellite.
However, the effectiveness of these measures in curbing kidnapping activities has been called into question. Victims' accounts suggest that either the measures are not effective or there may be complicity from those in positions of authority.
In Zamfara State, a kidnap victim, Mallam Yushau Jangeme, reported that security agents in his village did nothing to trace the telephone calls of the bandits who kidnapped him, even after he provided the phone numbers of his kidnappers to the authorities.
Public affairs commentator, Mr Chike Ogbu, also expressed dissatisfaction with the way security agents are handling the case of the abducted medical students, questioning the purpose of SIM registration and its link with NIN when people can make ransom calls without being arrested, despite the data that should be available from the registrations.
A top official at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), stated that they were adamant about the NIN-SIM linkage deadline due to several dangerous security trends they discovered, such as instances of a single individual having thousands of SIM lines linked to their NIN.
However, the official clarified that the power to track and arrest people who make calls lies with the security agencies, not the NCC.
Similarly, a satellite engineer at the Nigerian Communications Satellite Company (NIGCOMSAT LTD) explained that the onus of taking action on whatever the communications satellite reveals in terms of crimes is squarely at the doorsteps of the security agencies.
