We Cannot Track Kidnappers, Bandits, Says NCC

We Cannot Track Kidnappers, Bandits, Says NCC

Despite Technology Available To Us, It Is Impossible

World where technology has made a global village. Thousands of people keep puzzling why kidnappers and bandits are having it easy and getting away uncaught.

We Cannot Track Kidnappers, Bandits, Says NCC

Recalling that these criminal-minded individuals are seen in videos, flaunting their strength and ill-got money, which they made on devices and still go as far as posting it on the internet, and most of the time, they contact victims’ families when due to demand ransom.

Being concerned, Henry Okunomo, the Senate President, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has aired his concern over the inability of the Security Operatives to nab these criminal elements making lives unbearable for the citizens.

He noted that in this current age of technology advancement and development, he still struggles to understand why how kidnappers could successfully make calls across to the victim’s family without being tracked down and nabbed by the security operatives.

Okunomo, who made an appearance on television programme to address of his colleagues and friends in the kidnapper’s den, seemed agitated, frustrated. He stated his concern and dissatisfaction at the negligence of the security agencies.

He said: “I am not satisfied with the way security agencies are going about the matter. The government cannot tell me there is no other way this kidnapping thing can be nipped in the bud. After all, there are several measures already in place, why are they not working?”

It is very clear that, in the first place, SIM card registration was a policy introduced to curb criminality. It was introduced, in 2011, by the Nigerian Communications Commission. In 2015, NIN enrolment was also introduced for the same purpose by the National identity Management Commission (NIMC).

Subsequently, in 2020, NIN-SIM linkage was made mandatory for all Nigerians. It is an exercise overseen by NCC, NIMC, The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and also the NigComsat-1R Communication Satellite which was launched into the space in 2012.

All these measure were taken by the government to ameliorate National security by emboldening the strength and functionality of the Law Enforcement Bodies to curb unlawful and criminal use of devices, mobile phones and the internet.

It is also said to enhance smooth verification process while enabling secure transactions and communications using mobile gadgets which would, in turn, boost digital economy, and also, to improve governance and service delivery by providing accurate data for policymaking, facilitate secure access to E-government services online.

Howbeit, even after being said all these anti-crime measures have been put in place, kidnappers, bandits and all other criminal syndicates still operate at will. This has made many suggest that the measures are non-effective or the operations and effects are being compromised.

Mallam Yushau Jangeme, a resident of Zamfara state, stated that the security operatives put in no effort to track the bandits who kidnapped him through their telephone calls. In the statement, seven people were kidnapped in his village and a call was put across him to him to come with ransom before the victims could regain their freedom.

He disclosed that he was detained because he could only get N1.4m out of the N3m demanded and when he got to the kidnappers’ hide-out, demanding the balance before the victims could be released.

Shockingly, he stated that no efforts were made by the security operatives despite his efforts to disclose the bandits’ contacts before heading into the hoods.

Mr. Chike Ogbu, a public Affairs Commentator, also aired his distaste at how the security personnel are going about the case of the Kidnapped medical student, admonishing that he struggled to understand the effects and use of SIM card registration and NIN-SIM linkage when these policies are not being used to track and nab this criminal-minded individuals causing unrest despite all the data available to them.

He said: “We have had all manner of SIM activity registrations in this country. We have had Identity registrations and we have a communications satellite.

“Which one of them is not functioning or which agency of government is not releasing sensitive information necessary for picking these renegades? What is actually the problem, or are our security agents complicit?” he queried.

It is to be recalled that the NCC was insistent that every SIM card must be registered before use, also set a deadline for NIN-SIM linkage to fast track enrolment process in a view to ensure that no criminal would go scot-free if caught having carried out swindling and nefarious activities. But it appears that every efforts made cannot water as bandits and kidnappers operate at will.

Meanwhile, the Commission has refuted all claims and says that they have no part to share in the blame. A top official from the commission who preferred his identity concealed narrated that “Yes, we were adamant on the deadline of the NIN-SIM linkage because of several dangerous security trends we discovered.

“Our resolve hinged on the need to close in on the chaos of untoward ownership of multiple SIM cards with unverified NIN details. We had instances where a single individual had over 10,000 lines linked to his NIN. In some cases, we have seen a single person with 1,000 lines, some 3,000 plus lines. What were they doing with these lines?

“From our interim findings, the owners of these lines did not purchase them for decent purposes or to undertake legitimate activities. We gave them enough time to make the decision of which of their lines they wanted to keep and discard the others. They did not. All lines in this category with unverified NINs were barred.

“On the issue of kidnappers making calls to victims’ families without being traced, I don’t think that power is residual in our hands. What we know is that whatever support the security agents have sought from us, as far as the national security question is concerned, we have always given to the best of our ability. Our duty is not to track and arrest people who make calls rightly or wrongly the source added.

Also a Satellite Engineer from the Nigerian Communications Satellite Company, (NIGCOMSAT) LTD, whose identity is shielded, said: “One of the misconceptions about our satellite is people believing that it will snap photos or record videos of crime scenes and send them to security agents, but that is not how it works.

“Although NigComSat -1R is a communications satellite, it is not equipped with cameras. It gathers data and digital footprints which on demand, we usually make available to security agencies that can also read and interpret them effectively. So people should not think that because crimes are happening unabated, the satellite is not working or performing its duties” he added.

We Cannot Track Kidnappers, Bandits, Says NCC