Government to fight Boko Haram, others with N10b gadgets.

With the installation of a N10 billion equipment nearing completion, the Federal Government is stepping up its anti-terrorism battle, it was learnt yesterday.

The project, which is coming under the National Public Security Communication System, according to sources, is to be completed before the end of this month.

It is fashioned along the line of the Global System of Telecommunications (GSM). 

The equipment will serve the Armed Forces, the State Security Service (SSS), the Police, the office of the NSA and other arms of the security services.

The installed line capacity, for instance, exceeds that of MTN and Globacom combined, it was said. When fully deployed, the equipment has an excess capacity of over one million lines.

The office of the NSA is expected to co-ordinate the operations of the equipment, which is like a radar that can detect threats to security.

Besides, the Federal Government is said to have begun talks with neighbouring countries on a mutual agreement on security challenges in the border towns and cities. 

Also, as part of the renewed efforts in tackling the security situation in the country, a 24-hour surveillance around all hotels that have over 50 rooms capacity has been ordered. Besides, all public buildings and private recreational centres are to be manned by plain clothes security operatives.

The measures, which emanated from the National Security Adviser, Gen Andrew Azazi, might not be unconnected with security alert issued by the United States government to its citizens to stay off some prominent hotels in Abuja.

Gen. Azazi, on the directive of President Goodluck Jonathan, has 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.

A source in the Presidency, who spoke on the new security equipment, said it would complement the tracking device put into operation a few months ago by the police as well as the over 2000 units of Close Circuit Televisions (CCTVs) that have been installed in Abuja and Lagos as well as the Aerial Unmanned Vehicles (AUVs), which are also expected to be deployed in the nation’s borders.

The source, who pleaded not to be named, “because the matter is sensitive”, said the security agencies under the office of the NSA have intensified physical security checks across the FCT and major cities as well as deployment of intelligence personnel in busy hotels and offices across the country.”

The source said: “We are doing our best to ensure that we protect the lives and property of the citizenry and foreigners. Once the entire new security apparatus is put into use, you can be sure that these criminals causing so much trouble for the people will be taken care of adequately.”  

Assuring Nigerians that the government is on top of the security situation, the source also said “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.”