A prominent Nigerian security analyst has raised serious concerns about what he describes as selective enforcement by the country's security agencies in dealing with online threats.
Questioning Security Priorities
Security expert Kabir Adamu has openly questioned the sincerity of Nigerian security agents in tracking armed bandits who use social media platforms to threaten citizens and challenge state authority. During an interview with TVC, Adamu highlighted what he sees as a disturbing pattern of selective enforcement.
The security specialist pointed to a recent case where agents swiftly apprehended a man in Port Harcourt, Rivers State who had called for a coup on the social media platform X. This rapid response stood in stark contrast to the apparent inability to track down bandits who regularly post threatening videos on TikTok and other platforms.
Digital Tracking Capabilities Available
Adamu emphasized that the technical capability to track these criminals exists within Nigeria's security architecture. "Tracking individuals online in the digital space is extremely easy," he stated. "Every device they are using has a signature, the platform that they are using has credentials that you can use to track them."
The security expert explained that even when bandits use devices not registered in their names, security agencies can create a social web that eventually leads to their identification. He noted that Nigeria has an extensive security infrastructure with 42 security departments - 29 primary ones and 14 supporting units - all possessing the technical capacity to conduct such tracking operations.
Political Expediency Over Public Safety
Adamu suggested that the problem lies not in technical capability but in political will and what he termed "impunity within our security sector." He argued that when it becomes politically expedient to track and arrest individuals, the security apparatus demonstrates remarkable efficiency.
"If it is politically expedient to track them and arrest them and try them, it will be done," Adamu observed. "But I think for some odd reasons at the moment, because of the impunity within the security sector, that is not being done."
The security analyst referenced a specific recent incident where a bandit's video went viral on social media, directly challenging Nigerian sovereignty. "Today on social media, there was a viral post by a bandit who was in simple terms challenging the supremacy and sovereignty of the Nigerian state," he recounted. "I believe that by now, that young man should have been arrested and a lesson taught to his peers."
Consequences of Inaction
Adamu warned that the failure to consistently apply tracking capabilities has emboldened criminals. "Because overtime we have not done that, once you see TikTok, the number of brazen display you will see by these criminals is shocking," he stated.
The security expert revealed that international colleagues often question him about the whereabouts of Nigerian security organizations when they see these online displays of criminality. He maintained that the same technology used to track the Port Harcourt man who called for a coup could be deployed against bandits terrorizing communities.
"Recently, a young man posted about a coup in Port Harcourt. How long did it take the security organizations to go after him and track him? Not very long," Adamu noted. "So they can use the same technology and track these same bad guys. It is the same technology used in tracking that man that they can use in tracking these terrible monsters doing dastardly things to our people."
Adamu concluded that breaking the cycle of impunity within the security sector would lead to more consistent enforcement and ultimately reduce the brazen criminality currently witnessed across social media platforms and in communities throughout Nigeria.
