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Nigeria has over the years witnessed a paradigm shift in the security threat it faces. For decades, armed robbery mainly highway, house-to-house and bank robbery were the order of the day. Armed robbery in Nigeria was popularised by Lawrence Anini, Nigeria’s most notorious criminal.

Anini became a robbery figurehead; he was convicted and executed in August 1986. Years later armed robbery spiralled, becoming the number one security threat to Nigerians and businesses. This has led to the emergence of reactive techniques by successive governments; the government typically responded by purchasing patrol vehicles, formation of “special” police outfits such as operation bang, flush, sweep, fire-for-fire etc to tackle the menace.
These techniques were to some extent successful, however the lack of maintenance and training led to these vehicles and outfits immobilised some months later.

In July 2009, Mohammed Yusuf the leader of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (Boko Haram) was killed while in detention in Maiduguri. Since his death, Nigeria has been plagued by a new threat – insurgency, similar to the ones employed by the Taliban in Afghanistan and Al-shabab in Somalia.
Prior to the death of Yusuf, Nigerians never envisaged the possibility of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) going off in major cities let alone the capital, Abuja. The military reactively suppressed the first uprising by Boko Haram leading to a tentative normalcy, though the uprising largely remained in Northern Nigeria. John Campbell, the United States former Ambassador to Nigeria and Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies at Council for Foreign Relations noted in his article that;
“Boko Haram has also expanded its area of operations. In 2011, Boko Haram violence was largely confined to Nigeria’s northeast; by the end of 2012, the Nigeria Security Tracker had documented incidents across all of northern Nigeria. This year, Boko Haram-related attacks have occurred in fourteen out of the country’s thirty-six states, including all twelve of the states that have already adopted Islamic law, and in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.”

Boko Haram attacks has widened and their raids more brazen, striking in the headquarters of Nigeria Police in the capital Abuja. This attack signified robust sophistication in the group’s modus operandi and the overwhelming capability to launch attack anywhere in Nigeria. Recently their attacks has widened to include targeting military barracks, freeing prison inmates and more recently attacking telecom infrastructures.

The government’s foray into biometric capture and SIM card registration as a means of checkmating crime especially kidnapping and terrorism already provides the backbone to launch an extensive electronic intelligence gathering. Nigeria’s version of Echelon should be able to intercept, trace, monitor and transmit electronic communication intelligence amongst Nigeria’s security instalments. The time for a different approach in managing Nigeria’s security is now; gun power coupled with precise intelligence will lead to an effective and sophisticated elimination of threats anywhere in Nigeria and West Africa.
Nigeria should create a tactical Electronic Intelligence Unit either within the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) or an independent unit answerable to the Defence Minister and/or the Presidency. Their work will be to sift through the massive intelligence data already captured and to proactively seek to use electronic techniques to gather, decipher and share intelligence. As Nigeria’s internet connectivity improves, the unit will be able to protect critical internet-dependent infrastructures.

In the United Kingdom, GCHQ and other intelligence parastatals play a critical role in the defence of the country; from eavesdropping to reading sensitive email contents. During the Omagh bombing in August 1998, the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA) succeeded only because intelligence wasn’t shared or responded to promptly. BBC panorama reported that MI5 was aware of the plan and GCHQ monitored the mobile phones of the bombers during the day of attack.

The launch of NigComSat-1 in 2004 and the subsequent satellite launches that ensued put Nigeria in a club of technology players and gave Nigeria a tool that many countries aspire to have. The Electronic Intelligence Unit (EIU) must coordinate effortlessly with National Space Research & Development Agency (NASRDA) and Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) to monitor Nigeria’s boarders day and night. These are existing infrastructures Nigeria already has in place, minor logistics and funding will create the right platform to launch this outfit. The existing corporation between the security agencies and telecom operators must be enhanced and all communication managed by EIU.

Nigeria will have to evaluate its current capabilities, project future capabilities and devise its own approach to solving its security issues. The anti-terrorism law has given the legal framework for security agencies to develop far-reaching capacity to defend Nigeria. The USA PATROIT act was enacted when America was attacked in 2001; Nigeria’s anti terrorism act was passed due to increasing attacks by Boko Haram.

The conflict in Mali has reiterated the importance of maintaining strong intelligence outpost in West and Northern Africa. Intelligence gathering and sharing must be enhanced within the sub region especially to checkmate the activities of Islamic fundamentalists.

The courageous Joint Taskforce (JTF) when supported with more precise and effective intelligence will surely do their job better. The attention given to security/defence in the budget is laudable but its implementation is questionable. Increase in defence spending must be complemented by increase in capabilities; including military hardware and personnel development and preparedness. The overall safety of the country will be the yardstick for measuring the effectiveness of Nigeria’s huge defence spending.

This Article is written by Dennis Orji, the Chief Operations Officer at Bludel Technologies Limited. He is an Electronic Security Consultant and Advocate

Source http://www.fogsecure.com.ng/blog/nigeria-past-present-and-future-security-threats/

aero is a death trap. My flight to Abuja from Lagos arrived few seconds from Port Harcourt.

It was refuelled immediately and was heading to Abuja. I never experienced the sort of turbulence and vibration I witnessed on that day.

Still on getting to abuja, before we disembarked it was already being refuelled for onward journey to Sokoto.

I swore to never enter any plane in Nigeria and board ABC buses.

Unfortunately Nigerian govt and businesses always wait for events like this before they start implementing some security measure.

To protect your business and home against robbery and other threats install FogSecure Security http://fogsecure.com.ng

The closest you can get is http://nigeriaformations.com

Online company registration is now available. Visit http://nigeriaformations.com

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We'be heard so much arresting and killing of top boko haram commanders. The only problem is we don't know what happens to them afterwards.

the SSS has paraded the organisers of different bomb attacks, but where are they now. We should think twice before rejoicing over these kind of news.

Security? http://www.fogsecure.com.ng

Bludel Technologies a Nigeria based Security and Technology Company, has today announced a strategic partnership with Slovakian-based Telegrafia to provide robust early warning systems to Nigerian governments and industries. Telegrafia’s diverse warning systems will be deployed by Bludel Technologies to warn the public on natural disasters such as flooding, tsunami and man-made hazards including; fire, military threats and other security threats.

Reacting to the partnership, Dennis Orji Bludel’s Chief Operations Officer stated that “Nigerians will now be better informed against flooding, which has killed over 400 people in 2012 alone. We will be extending the warning systems to alert the public in the event of robberies on Nigerian banks, roads and estates which has often led to loss lives of innocent Nigerians who are caught unawares.”

Telegrafia’s Business Development Director Slawski Pawel said “At a time of global changes, the world has to face an increasing number of natural and man-made disasters and adapt to situations of permanent threats. Although we cannot fully eliminate potential consequences of weather anomalies in our everyday life, surely we can limit them to absolute minimum. With our cooperation with Bludel Technologies Limited in Nigeria, we believe that our solutions and products will find many applications in the most populated country in Africa, increasing security of its inhabitants and employees. We are looking forward to sharing gained experience with our new partner and bringing the most developed solutions to Nigeria.”

Bludel Technologies and Telegrafia will introduce early warning systems and disaster management systems to industries and the public. Industrial solutions available include; oil and gas warning systems, nuclear power plant solutions, chemical plants and the steel industry solutions. Their public warning solutions includes national warning systems, city warning system, flood warning system and dam warning system.

The early warning technology has the capability to alert a city the size of Lagos, its suburbs, industries and a country within seconds of activation of an impending danger. This allows for speedy evacuation and response to threats and hazards leading to the safety of lives and properties.

For more information visit Bludel Technologies Nigeria Limited http://bludel.com.ng

Source:http://nigeriabusinesscommunities.com/profiles/blogs/bludel-technologies-partners-telegrafia-to-launch-early-warning-s

Security wise Nigeria's highways are the most dangerous place to be robbed. This why the robbers get upper hand.

you hardly hear police engaged or killed armed robbers on the highway.

if you take your security seriously, you can now protect your home and business using FogSecure http://fogsecure.com.ng

we thank God you are safe.

This article is culled from NigeriaFormations(http://nigeriaformations.com), a leading business formation and advisory firm based in Lagos and London.

Nigeria with an estimated population of 160 million is potentially the highest consumer market in Africa and a fertile ground for companies and investors looking for growth opportunities.

After an unsettled period of military rule which was hallmarked for poor governance, the weakening of public institutions, engendering a hostile environment for private sector growth and impoverishing the majority of Nigerians, Nigeria has settled back into democratic governance and is now promoting private enterprise as the engine of growth by deregulating and liberalizing important sectors of the economy such as telecommunication sector, the down stream petroleum sector, and the power sector.

The lack of investment in infrastructure over the years by the previous military governments created investment opportunities at the inception of democratic rule. As the popular Chinese proverb goes “In every crisis, there is opportunity”, indeed most entrepreneurial ventures arise from solving problems. The most successful of the new ventures that arose from the infrastructural crisis was in the telecommunication sector which began with the National Communication Commission (NCC) in 2001 licensing operators Econet (now Airtel), MTN, MTEL and subsequently licensing the Nigerian owned mobile operator Glo in 2003. This move led to the explosion of mobile telephony in Nigeria from an installed capacity of 450,000 telephone lines in 1999 to 85 million by 2010 making Nigeria the country with the fastest-growing teledensity in the world.

According to Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala Nigeria’s Finance Minister these new ventures in the telecommunication sector created about 100,000 direct jobs and about 5 million indirect jobs while also improving access to market information for farmers and traders as well as facilitating banking transactions. The growth of the telecommunication sector led to a further diversification of the Nigerian economy, with the growing demand for housing and retail goods engendered by the growing middle class.

This growing middle class has now created further opportunities for investments. According to Mr Segun Aganga Nigeria’s current Minister for Trade and Investment and a former Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, Nigeria at the moment has an estimated housing deficit of 17 million housing units and yet there are currently only 20,000 active mortgages in the country. The Minister further asserted that government is making concerted efforts to increase the number of active mortgages as a Mortgage Refinance Corporation would soon be established. The Mortgage Refinance Corporation when established is expected to push down interest rates in Nigeria from the current 20 percent to 13-14 percent thereby making mortgages more affordable. This could creat a great opportunity for discerning investors given the growing demand for housing.

Agriculture, Education and Healthcare are also neglected areas that offer great opportunities for capital growth given the estimate that 42.8% of the population are below the age of 15 years. There are also opportunities in further infrastructural development such as in roads, railways and electricity, especially as the Government adopts policies to encourage public private partnership through concessioning.

With an average GDP growth rate of 6.8% since 2005, the IMF forecasts that Nigeria’s growth rate could cross into double- digit territory in the 2012-2015 timeframe which would put Nigeria ahead of two other emerging markets, Brazil and Russia and slightly behind India and China.

There are however, challenges and risks to overcome, such as non competitive infrastructure, unfinished distribution networks and a shortage of skilled labour. It is however, pertinent to note that many international companies in a variety of industries such as MTN, Coca Cola, Nestle, Guinness, Lafarge ,General Electric and indigenous entrepreneurs such as Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Oba Otudeko, Jim Ovia, Pascal Dozie, Leo Stan Eke and Ernest Azudialu have consistently shown that the attractiveness of the economy and consumer base outweigh any concerns about the business or political risks.

It appears that some strategic investors are already taking advantage of this potentially lucrative market as according Dr Okonjo-Iweala a former Managing Director of the World Bank and Nigeria’s current Minister of Finance, Nigeria is now Africa’s leading investment destination with a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of $8.9 billion which represents 16 percent of Africa’s total FDI of $55 billion in 2012

Whether your company decides to enter Nigeria through organic growth, acquisition or joint venture, your company would need to asses its threshold for risk, institute desired controls and decide on the speed to market. Whatever strategy your company chooses to adopt, strong and clear governance are a must. At NigeriaFormations with our local knowledge of the Nigerian business environment we strive to provide you with professional business support services to make doing business in Nigeria pleasurable.

Written by: Nazo Anya Business and Legal Risk Analyst at NigeriaFormations Limited (http://blog.nigeriaformations.com/2012/12/why-you-should-invest-in-nigeria/)

Fact remains that most licensing process can be hacked.

I am assuming that the project he is working on is not as sophisticated as you guys think.

Kirusky, try using the My.computer.X.X Namespace to get various computer properties.

Encrypt the values and save it locally. Validate the file content with the computer property each time you execute your program

Nigeria faces a unique security threat which UK, US etal do not face.

However I think Nigerian security agencies are over zealous in their quest to protect the president and Nigerians

The easy way will be to copy your.exe to the startup menu/folder.

Another option would be to edit the registry to start your software on startup

You will need to get the hardware details of each computer the software is installed.
encrypt it and check for modification each time the software is started.

you use Mac address and append unique codes to it

This robbery bears a hallmark of highly trained armed robbers, probably with some military or paramilitary training. From planning to execution also means that insider knowledge is relevant both at the police station and at the banks.

To mitigate dependence on any individual, FogSecure solution for banks (http://fogsecure.com.ng) automatically switches to guard-mode and NEVER depends on anybody. This is the kind of technology Nigeria deserves. FogSecure is probably the most advanced security system in Nigeria. How due to late adopters managing Nigerian businesses they'd rather stick with a mopol or may-guard.

Advice to Nigerian banks operating in cluster is to deploy robust warning systems. This warning system will cause ultimate chaos when bank A is robbed. This company Bludel(http://bludel.com.ng) is developing next generation security systems mainly for Nigeria's needs.

Invest in technology noww!!!

This clearly a well planned operation. As someone mentioned job creation will go a long way reducing crime, but not eradicating it. Banks must invest in technologies that is independent or partially reliable on the police force.

This is why I recommend security system such as FogSecure(http://www.fogsecure.com.ng/nigerian-bank-security). Designed to attack the armed robbers sense of conciousness and cause chaos amongst intruders.

Thirdly, intelligence must be enhanced, laws such as the patriot act (US) must be enacted to enable snooping on conversations.

Nigerian banks must start defending themselves by deploying more technologies as opposed to depending on crude man guarding.

sophisticated bank security system has been developed by Bludel called FogSecure http://fogsecure.com.ng

Intelligence and technology has got to be the solution to these security situation. Until Nigeria security agencies start adopting these measures am afraid these kind of news will keep making headlines.
if security for your business and home is important to you I recommend FogSecure http://fogsecure.com.ng. it is already protecting me and some businesses in Nigeria.

Abductions again http://www.FogSecure.com.ng

Nigeria is years ahead from having a comprehensive DNA database. What we currently have is FogSecure http://fogsecure.com.ng

Security again, when we have about 50% of our population young and unemployed then this will be a regular occurrence. Protect yourself today with FogSECURE http://fogsecure.com.ng

Deep Sight:

They were very calm. In the car, they were laughing and cracking jokes. None of them seemed high. They spoke Yoruba all through.

Honestly, for about three weeks after the incident, i felt ok, and just glad to be alive. But probably owing to some delayed reaction, in the last few weeks i find myself waking up almost ten times every night to go around and listen for noises in the compound and the street and check windows and doors. When I actually parked just because someone was behind me in traffic one day, realized what the effect of the incident has been.

As for me, I am already planning very extra-ordinary security measures for my house. Burglar proofing is not enough. One needs a way to literally dissapear once alerted of entry.

Hi, I am very happy to provide you a kitted full-blown home security solution for FREE. Your story is quite touching and the reason why we ventured into building and designing an independent security system. Ping an email to "support (at )fogsecure.com.ng" with subject "Nairaland" and a member of staff will contact you.

coogar:

fogsecure won't stop lagos armed robbers - matter of fact, it's like inviting trouble as they would panic and shoot sporadically when they are absent sight!

I STRONGLY disagree with you. There are lots accessories which comes with FogSecure which No Intruder can penetrate as long as they are human. FogSecure attacks intruder's sense of consciousness causing them to react by exiting the property. If you have any doubt get over to the website and contact the team. http://fogsecure.com.ng

This is terrible, firstly I am glad you survived this ordeal. It baffles me that Nigerians still depend on the police and their manned security personnel to provide security. How can you spend millions building/renting a home and cannot spend 600,000k fortifying it with independent security solution like FogSecure(http://fogsecure.com.ng). Designed and built as a result of our failed security response system.

For over 2years in development, FogSecure was developed to independently and reliably protect you from this armed robbers when your first-line of defence has been breached. Visit http://www.fogsecure.com.ng/nigerian-homes.php for info on their home security and http://www.fogsecure.com.ng/accessories for some reliable security accessories.