Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, has called for a shift in Nigeria’s security architecture, urging stakeholders to deploy technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to combat rising threats.
Speaking at the Kogi Security Summit on Tuesday in Abuja, Zulum argued that traditional methods alone cannot defeat sophisticated criminal networks. He advocated for the integration of surveillance drones, biometric tracking, and predictive analytics to pre-empt attacks.
“For us to address the insecurity, we need to possess modern technological warfare; technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics are now deployed to combat crime,” Zulum said.
Beyond hardware, Zulum stressed that security is a collective burden. He urged citizens to “own the issues of insecurity” by actively participating in intelligence gathering and community policing, rather than leaving the fight solely to security agencies.
Furthermore, Zulum charged authorities with tackling the root causes of insecurity, particularly poverty and infrastructure deficits. The Governor noted that unemployment, hunger, and lack of basic amenities create fertile ground for recruitment by criminal elements.
“While it is critical to purchase equipment such as vehicles, MRAPS, drones and other facilities to confront the insecurity, but most importantly, without addressing the underlying factors such as poverty, road infrastructures, agriculture, among others, insecurity will not end. So, I want you to dedicate some of your funding to addressing such issues.”
“Understanding the socio-economic and political dimensions of every crisis is very important. Increasing poverty, climate vulnerabilities, infrastructural deficit, illiteracy, among others, have to be addressed if we want security in our communities.”
“The security of lives and property is the cardinal objective of any administration; the nexus between peace and security cannot be overemphasised. It is only when there is security that there will be peace; and without peace, there will be no development,” Zulum stressed.
Zulum was accompanied by the member representing Marte, Monguno Nganzai federal constituency, Hon. Engr Bukar Talba.
