The Goodluck Jonathan government has stayed long enough to roll out a uniform,
nationally known emergency number that people can call to provide hints to
security operatives about potential security risks or report a crime.
I’ve said this on my Facebook wall many times before. Where the
police and other security operatives achieve wonders, it is not juju they are
using. They are tapping into the power of information. It is a collaboration of
the public with the forces. The public in these countries are able to
effortlessly provide information to the police by dialling a short-code that is
known even by kids.
If you hear a
strange shooting or you sight a band of suspicious-looking people in your
neighbourhood, you can easily call the number and a police man on patrol nearby
is despatched to check things out. It may turn out to be nothing, or it may be
serious. Where is our own short code for emergency? Where is the communication
equipment for the police? How are the forces sharing information? Is there a
central system for warehousing information on terrorism that is accessible
online to the operatives of all the forces deployed to fight terrorism? These
are issues that the govt should focus on. It is not enough to threaten to fish
out terrorists. What are we doing to make that possible aside from barricading
the streets?
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