A former Director of the State Security Service (SSS), Mike Ejiofor says the CCTVs installed in Abuja and Lagos by the Federal Government of Nigeria, for which a loan of about 475 million dollars was obtained, are not working.
He urged the government to institute a high powered investigation of the issue, stressing that the Federal Government (FG) should not watch while resources are thrown away.
“It is a loan that has to be paid by the Federal Government. We should not watch our resources thrown away like that.
“It is a dangerous aspect of security infrastructure because I remember that the FG took a loan of about 475 million dollars to install CCTV cameras in Abuja and Lagos.
“I am telling you now that those cameras are not working, which is very terrible.
“The cameras, if they were okay, would have assisted in checking what happened at Emab Plaza in Abuja last month,” he told Channels Television on Friday.
He pointed out that “the ineffectiveness of the cameras is a big challenge that must be tackled”.
Mr Ejiofor also stressed that for Nigeria to succeed in the fight against terrorism technological assistance in investigation, in terms of CCTV, was necessary.
He further emphasised that the security agencies that were meant to use the CCTVs should have been involved in the purchase of the equipment, as it would have given them the opportunity to know the effectiveness of the cameras.
Need To Exercise Patience
Asked if the Nigeria was recording successes in the fight against terrorism, he answered to the affirmative, saying: “Despite the explosions that we are still witnessing, we are recording successes. It could have been worse than this.
“But we should not be discouraged. Nigerians need to exercise patience, cooperate with security agencies.
“I am delighted that most prominent Nigerians and statesmen are coming out now to make patriotic statements condemning the attacks and not seeing it as either religious or ethnic war but looking at Boko Haram, as an enemy of Nigeria, we must have a common stand that this is a common enemy to the whole country,” he said.
Mr Ejiofor also said that the extent the attacks by the terrorist group, Boko Haram, had gotten was not expected and that it would take time for the military to be well prepared to tackle it.
He attributed the slow pace in tackling the insurgency to the fact that terrorism was alien to Nigeria.
“It is not part of our culture or our system. Since it is an evolving trend we need to adopt some new tactics to fight it. I think the government is putting some security infrastructures in place to tackle the insurgency,” he said.
One of such strategies, he said, was the demand for a one billion dollars loan by President Goodluck Jonathan to re-kit thee military, stressing it would go a long way in providing needed military equipment.
He commended the Police and the State Security Service for their security awareness lectures, but stressed that the group of people that the police were talking to should be right people.
“All citizens must be involved in the sensitisation. Let us as individuals take care of our environment.
“Owners of businesses should install personal CCTV and employ private security guard,” The former SSS director said.
He further stressed the need for the National Security and Civil Defence Corps to organise special training or general awareness programme for private security guards, to equip them with needed knowledge on how to carry out checks for Improvised Explosive Devices.
