The Nigeria Police Force, being the leading security agency in Nigeria, launched Intelligence-led Policing in 2015, with the installation of a tracking device that was installed by the then-Inspector-General of Police office, Solomon Arase.
Real-time tracking devices like GPS trackers or cell phone trackers provide critical information during an investigation, such as the location where a kidnapping occurred or the route taken by the kidnappers.
There was also the Operation unit code-named Intelligence Response Team (still in operation) which monitored the kidnappers’ movements in real-time, with the information from the device, thereby helping them stay one step ahead.
This device also helped investigators analyze the locations and patterns of calls made by the kidnappers, the routes, and potential safe houses.
In addition, the device provided valuable evidence, such as call records, location data and communication patterns, to build a strong case against the kidnappers.
The device helped in arresting many kidnappers through calls made from their dens while negotiating for ransom. One such arrest was that of the five kidnappers of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, who was taken captive by the herdsmen on September 21, 2015, during his 77th birthday.
In this case, five of the kidnappers came to pick up the N5 million ransom in Suleja, Niger State.
One of the senior police officers who effected the breakthrough told Saturday Vanguard that; “immediately the kidnappers removed the SIM card used to negotiate, we knew where they were and intercepted them at the last bridge to Minna. The ransom money they collected was still in the boot and the SIM card.
“Five of them were arrested. The motorcycle they used to convey Chief Olu Falae was retrieved. The N5 million ransom was marked by the bank. They removed only N100,000 from it. The kidnappers were sentenced to life imprisonment”.
What went wrong:
Asked what went wrong with the system put in place to monitor the locations of kidnappers and interception of calls for prompt arrest and rescue of abducted victims, the retired senior officer attributed it to the priority of successive Inspectors General of Police.
His words: “The priority of successive IGPs was quite different. Solomon Arase set up the platform when he was the IGP. It was a technical platform The Intelligence Response Team, IRT was supposed to be the operational wing that would work with the technical platform. When the technical team got information, it would pass it to IRT to go to the location and make an arrest. Drones and vehicles were bought for the operation.
“But successive IGPs who were analogues didn’t know what to do. They merged the technical platform and IRT. Instead of the platform being used for crime prevention, it became political. People in the National Assembly and Villa got hold of the platform and used it to track their enemies and mistresses.
“For such a platform, you don’t give both the technical and the operational units to just one person who would be compromised by politicians. That was the beginning of the collapse of the platform. It requires someone with power and intelligence, someone of a strategic level who is keen on that line.
“This platform was supposed to be renewed and hooked up with the service provider. But that was never the priority of successive IGPs. They had money to pay for the accumulated subscription but they refused to pay. When you leave such a system for more than one year, it requires recalibration. This technology keeps evolving.
You can’t say something you set up today will be used the same way for 10 years without being upgraded. Before long, the system broke down, and the functionality of the Police tracking equipment began to diminish and subsequently went comatose.
The tracker, particularly, became non-functional due to non-subscription as well as failure to engage the relevant company to carry out required system upgrades. Due to the failure to pay subscription fees for about three years, and after a grace period had expired, the company overseeing its maintenance and upgrade decided to withdraw its services. This made it difficult to track bandits, kidnappers, and other forms of violent crimes”, he stated.
However, Saturday Vanguard gathered that the present IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, reactivated the tracking device. However, despite its reactivation, in addition to the tracking devices of the DSS and Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, kidnappers are still having their way without being tracked in many parts of the country. They are still not getting it right.
Lack of Participation:
Further findings by Saturday Vanguard on the seeming indifference of security agents in the fight against kidnapping showed that some were deliberately withdrawing even when given directives. Interaction with most of them revealed that they were reluctant to go after the kidnappers because of the significant risks involved and the limited technology available to support their efforts.
Pursuing kidnappers, according to them, often requires venturing into dangerous forests and remote areas, where the risk of ambush, injury, or even d3ath is high.
Furthermore, they complained that policemen are often deployed to these high-risk missions without adequate resources, including specialized allowances, vehicles and equipment. One of them, an Inspector, said: “Policemen are frequently forced to spend days in the forest without proper support or infrastructure, relying on basic survival skills and makeshift arrangements to carry out their duties.”Many Rank and Files from different State Police Commands expressed frustration due to what they described as the lack of recognition and rewards for their hard work and dedication in combating kidnappings. They said that unless a policeman has connections with high-ranking officers, their efforts go unnoticed and unrewarded. One of them from the Edo State Police Command who was among those who rounded up kidnappers that attacked a sub-station of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, in Igueben, Edo State, in January 2023, where scores of passengers were abducted, lamented that they were edged out of the recent IGP awards.
He alleged that an officer who never participated in the operation that led to the arrest of the kidnappers and rescue of the victims took the shine off them.
Another Police Inspector from the Enugu State Police Command said, “Kidnapping is being politicized. The federal government should demonstrate the political will to address the issue instead of endangering the lives of security operatives. Its approach to tackling kidnapping has been inadequate and the lives of security personnel are being put at risk due to lack of proper resources and support.
“Response to kidnapping has been influenced by political considerations, with some cases being prioritized over others due to the social status or political connections of the victims”, he said.
Others argue that the politicization of kidnapping has hindered the effectiveness of security operations and has led to the unnecessary loss of lives. Most of them called on the government to take a more comprehensive and apolitical approach to addressing the issue of kidnapping, one that prioritizes the safety and well-being of all citizens and security personnel.
Frustration:
Many Rank and Files from different State Police Commands expressed frustration due to what they described as the lack of recognition and rewards for their hard work and dedication in combating kidnappings.
They said that unless a policeman has connections with high-ranking officers, their efforts go unnoticed and unrewarded.
One of them from the Edo State Police Command who was among those who rounded up kidnappers that attacked a sub-station of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, in Igueben, Edo State, in January 2023, where scores of passengers were abducted, lamented that they were edged out of the recent IGP awards.
He alleged that an officer who never participated in the operation that led to the arrest of the kidnappers and rescue of the victims took the shine off them.
Another Police Inspector from the Enugu State Police Command said, “Kidnapping is being politicized. The federal government should demonstrate the political will to address the issue instead of endangering the lives of security operatives. Its approach to tackling kidnapping has been inadequate and the lives of security personnel are being put at risk due to lack of proper resources and support.
“Response to kidnapping has been influenced by political considerations, with some cases being prioritized over others due to the social status or political connections of the victims”, he said.
Others argue that the politicization of kidnapping has hindered the effectiveness of security operations and has led to the unnecessary loss of lives. Most of them called on the government to take a more comprehensive and apolitical approach to addressing the issue of kidnapping, one that prioritizes the safety and well-being of all citizens and security personnel.
Source: Vanguard