Federal Government yesterday said it is set to acquire multi-billion-naira state of the art security equipment to tackle terrorism and other vices.
The equipment is designed to help government provide gadgets to battle emerging security challenges.
The gadgets which will cost the government about N10bn are expected to serve the Army, Air Force, Navy, the State Security Services (SSS), the Police, office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and other arms of the security services.
The project, which is coming under the National Public Security Communication System, is fashioned along the line of the Global System of Telecommunications (GSM).
The telecom gadgets are also to ensure that government is not caught napping by activities of Boko Haram and other anti-state group
Meanwhile, government has ordered 24 hours surveillance of all hotels that have over 50 rooms capacity in the country while all public infrastructure and private recreational centres are now to be manned by plain clothes security operatives.
NSA, Gen. Andrew Azazi (rtd), ordered this following the security alert issued by the United States (US) government to its citizens to steer clear of some prominent hotels in Abuja. The advisory has since been varied by the American government.
Federal Government, it was also gathered, has began discussing with neighbouring countries on the need for cooperation in dealing with the emerging security challenges in border towns and cities within the West African sub-region.
The security equipment which will be principally coordinated by the office of the NSA, has installed line capacity exceeding MTN and Globacom combined.
Azazi, on the directive of President Jonathan, further ordered Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs) of government to volunteer capable personnel to be trained by his office on counter terrorism and emergency response strategies to manage related security issues in the respective MDAs to complement the efforts of key security agencies in the country.
It was also gathered from a reliable source that, the new security equipment is to complement the already existing tracking device put into operation few months ago by the police as well as the over 2000 units of Close Circuit Televisions (CCTV) that have been installed in Abuja and Lagos and the Aerial Unmanned Vehicles (AUVs) which are also expected to be deplored in the nation’s borders.
A reliable Presidency source who spoke on condition of anonymity said the decision to go public with what government has been doing behind the scene to secure lives and property was to boost the public confidence. It was gathered that the different security agencies under the office of the NSA have intensified physical security checks across the FCT and major cities in the country as well as deployment of intelligence personnel to busy hotels and offices nationwide.
“We are doing our best to ensure that we protect the lives and property of the citizenry and foreigners in this country. Once the entire new security apparatus is put into use, you can be sure that these criminals causing so much trouble for the government will be taken care of adequately”, the source said.
While calling on Nigerians to ensure that the war on terrorism is not left for the government alone to handle, the source appealed, “the fight on terrorism should be a collective one because the man or woman who has turned himself or herself into a weapon of destruction is difficult to monitor, so every Nigerian should consider this fight his or her own. It must not be left for the government to fight alone”.
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