Report: Police tracking devices remain inactive as officers struggle to trace bandits, insurgents

The major tracking devices used by the police to trace bandits, insurgents, and criminals have remained inactive since the beginning of 2021.

PUNCH reports that the inability of the tracking devices to trace criminal elements was attributed to downtime to non-subscription and failure to engage the relevant company to carry out system upgrades, among other challenges, making police officers struggle to trace bandits and other criminal elements.

Despite making technology-facilitated communication with victims to demand ransom, criminal elements – bandits, insurgents, kidnappers, and armed robbers – are having a field day in many parts of the country, especially in the northern part of the country.

In recent times, the security situation of the country has worsened as the abduction of citizens including school children has become a common phenomenon, creating fear in the minds of many Nigerians.

The report noted that at least 2,943 people in Nigeria have been abducted across the country in the last six months since the critical tracking technology was down.

Schoolchildren are also not spared in the abductions especially in the northern part of the country. TheCable had reported that about 595 students were abducted in the first six months of 2021.

The second half of the year started with another report of schoolchildren abduction as bandits attacked Bethel Baptist High School, Damishi, Chikun LGA of Kaduna and kidnapped 121 students, on July 5.

In many of these abductions, it has been observed that bandits usually establish a contact of communication with parents and guardians using mobile technology to demand ransom.

According to the PUNCH, a commissioner of police who pleaded anonymity said the tracking devices were handed over to the police by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government and was installed by a Nigerian company during the tenure of Solomon Arase, a former inspector-general of police.

The police commissioner said those responsible for the subscription of the tracking devices have not been paid their fees since 2015.

“The equipment was given to us by President Buhari. The thing has not been working because those who are supposed to ensure that it runs well have not played their part. They claim that they are being owed money for the subscription,” he said.

“From what I gathered, subscription fees are meant to be paid yearly but you won’t believe that the police have not paid since 2015. Initially, the company gave us a grace period but they have now cut off the police completely.

“We now rely solely on DSS and NSA office. It’s a terrible situation and it has worsened the insecurity in the country. The Police Trust Fund promised to help but we have not seen any action yet.”

Another police commissioner told the newspaper that the tracking devices system is undergoing system upgrade, which would soon be completed.

“You know this thing is technology just like computer so we do upgrades from time to time. A lot of people on the field don’t even understand how it works. It is undergoing an upgrade because you have new features coming in from time to time. There are new technologies that you have to update to enhance their capacity,” he said.