OUTRAGEOUS  : Expert Reveals 6,800 Lives Lost to Insurgency In  First Half Of 2025 

…. Says porous borders expose Nigeria to heightened security risk 

A devastating report released by security experts has revealed that a staggering 6,800 Nigerians lost their lives to insurgency in the first half of 2025. 

This alarming figure highlights the escalating security challenges facing the country and the urgent need for effective counter-measures.

According to the report, the majority of the deaths occurred in the northern regions of the country, where terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP have been wreaking havoc. The groups have been responsible for numerous attacks on civilians, including bombings, kidnappings, and armed raids on communities.

The report also notes that the insurgency has had a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, including women, children, and the elderly. 

Speaking at the 2025 Annual lecture/Award of the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN), held in Lagos on Thursday, security expert and Chairman Kontz Engineering Ltd, Engr. Mustapha Kazeem Lusty stated that the figure is still on the rise.

The lecture is Titled “Harnessing Technological Innovations for Crime Prevention and Control in Nigeria,” 

In his presentation, Engr. Lusty called for a complete overhaul of the nation’s security architecture through the deployment of advanced technological systems capable of detecting, preventing, and disrupting crime in real time.

Addressing security stakeholders, including representatives of the Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other stakeholders, Lusty warned that traditional approaches were no longer sufficient.

He cited additional statistics: over 5,400 people abducted in the same period, and in March 2025 alone, 179 deaths, 115 injuries, and 217 kidnappings were recorded within just two weeks. The Nigeria Violent Conflict Database shows that banditry accounted for nearly 75% of all kidnapping victims in 2024, while National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data records 51.9 million criminal incidents between 2023 and 2024, with ransom payments costing an estimated N2.2 trillion.

Lusty said the rising death toll and insecurity had eroded public trust in security institutions, pushing citizens toward self-help. To reverse the trend, he proposed a six-step framework, including AI-powered early warning systems, a National Intelligent Vision Centre, encrypted community reporting platforms, deployment of surveillance drones and body-worn cameras, secure communication networks, and strengthened digital financial monitoring.

He stressed that localisation of technology, stronger forensic and cyber capabilities, joint intelligence dashboards, and transparent public security reporting were essential for sustainable reform.

Also speaking at the event, Security expert and Chairman Strict Guard, Dr. Bone Efoziem called for increased technological measures to monitor and secure Nigeria’s porous land, air, and sea borders.

He emphasized that most security threats entering Nigeria, ranging from arms smuggling to insurgency, come through unmonitored land routes rather than official airports or seaports. 

He noted that many villages along the borders serve as informal entry points, making it difficult for conventional border security to function effectively.

“Almost every village around the border is a potential route into the country,” Efoziem said. “Even security officers on the ground cannot monitor all these points effectively. This is where technology, like drones and remote monitoring systems, becomes essential.”

He stressed that current equipment and manpower are insufficient to tackle insurgents and armed criminals operating along the borders. 

Highlighting the limitations, Efoziem noted that soldiers often face better-equipped insurgents with night vision goggles and heavier weaponry, while border surveillance remains largely manual.

The expert called for redefining border security strategies and integrating technology to detect illegal movements, track suspicious activities, and enable rapid intervention. 

He also urged community engagement platforms to allow Nigerians to anonymously report cross-border threats, improving real-time intelligence collection.

“Strengthening border security with technology is critical to reducing the flow of arms, drugs, and criminals into Nigeria,” Efoziem said, stressing that proactive monitoring is the only sustainable solution to the nation’s border challenges.

In his keynote address, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr Akeem Osuolale, 

warned that Nigeria’s continued reliance on manpower-heavy operations rather than modern surveillance tools and digital systems was undermining national security efforts.

He decried the deployment of large numbers of personnel to tasks that could be handled more efficiently through technology.

“Simple technology should be able to identify pressure points and deploy men where they are truly needed,” he said.

According to him, many countries have already embraced automated surveillance, real-time monitoring software, and AI-powered analysis—tools capable of detecting threats faster and more accurately.

He noted that Nigeria’s data management remains weak, allowing criminals such as kidnappers to operate freely.

 “We are still working with data that is not fully processed or utilized,” he said. 

Osuolale, who was represented by a legal practitoner, Bar Olayinka Sanni also faulted the country’s intelligence cycle, saying vital information too often fails to reach the right operatives on time. 

He referenced an intelligence alert from the previous week that was not acted upon, describing it as evidence of systemic breakdown.

He called for increased funding, advanced training, and a deliberate shift from outdated approaches to innovative, tech-supported policing. 

“Innovation has gone so deep that simple tools can solve many of the security challenges we face,” he said.

He said that effective countries rely not on sheer numbers of officers on the streets but on strategic use of technology and coordinated intelligence networks.

Also speaking at the event the Jagunmolu of Somolu/Bariga Kingdom in Lagos, Oba Gbolahan Akanbi Timson, raised serious concerns over the fate of licensed firearms seized from lawful owners, alleging that many of the weapons collected through an executive order have resurfaced in criminal hands across Lagos and parts of the Southwest.

Oba Timson who was the Royal Father of the Day, said that although gun owners complied with the directive to surrender their weapons, the arms were neither returned, destroyed, nor properly accounted for.

According to him, firearms collected from individuals with valid five-year licenses were taken from divisional police offices to state commands, then to the office of the Inspector-General of Police, and eventually transferred to Abuja, a process he described as opaque and troubling.

“Those guns were seized not because they were unlicensed or used to commit crimes, but simply because an executive order was issued,” he said. “Today, some of those guns have found their way back into Lagos in the wrong hands. They were not destroyed, and they were not returned. Yet they are now being used by people who never bought them or held any certification.”

The royal father warned that the circulation of such weapons was worsening insecurity, enabling armed groups in communities to operate with impunity and intimidate residents.

He challenged crime reporters to investigate how licensed arms seized under the executive directive were diverted back into public spaces, insisting that accountability was necessary to curb the rising misuse of firearms.

“When licensed guns taken through official channels begin to appear with criminal elements, insecurity cannot be controlled,” he said. “This is a matter that must be exposed and thoroughly probed.”

In his welcome address, the President of CRAN, Mr Olalekan Olabulo, who also highlighted the importance of technology in solving the nation’s mirage of security issues said in the about 30-years of existence of the Association, it has consistently discussed security issues and proffered some solutions.

According to him, this year’s edition presents another opportunity for deep reflection on Nigeria’s security journey.

Speaking at the event, he said: “The current security challenges facing the country require innovative and proactive approaches. 

“Technology has revolutionized the way crimes are committed and investigated. It’s high time our security agencies tap into this potential.”

Olabulo highlighted the importance of surveillance systems, forensic analysis, and data analytics in modern policing, noting that the need for inter-agency collaboration and information sharing to combat transnational crimes.

“The Nigerian Police Force, Department of State Services, and other security agencies must work together to develop a comprehensive strategy that incorporates technology to prevent, detect, and investigate crimes,” he stressed.

He also called on the federal government to provide the necessary funding and support to enable security agencies to acquire and deploy modern technological solutions.

“The fight against violent crime requires a collective effort,” [Name] concluded. “We urge the government and security agencies to take proactive steps to leverage technology and ensure the safety and security of Nigerians.”

The call by the CRAN President comes amid growing concerns over the rising incidence of violent crimes in Nigeria, with many calling for innovative solutions to address the challenge.

“This year, we will be looking at how we can harness technological innovation to prevent and control crime. Technology is the main thing in town now.

“There is nothing we can do now without technology. We want to tell the government, the president of Nigeria, and heads of agencies to defy technology to defy against security. There are a lot of tools we can use to fight security in Nigeria.

“There is data analytics, there is good technology, there is AI, and there are apps that we can use to fight security in Nigeria. The government, as a matter of urgency and necessity, deployed technology. We have continued to lose our security agents.

“You can also use information technology and other things to fight crime. Another thing we also do during our work is to honor officers who have done excellently well in the area of security. We have carefully chosen our recipients for this year, and nobody can fault them” he added.