CCTV, FRSC And The Nyanya Bomb Attack

The recent bomb attack at Nyanya, Abuja has exposed the lax security situation in the not so posh parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It has also revealed the underbelly of certain schemes purportedly executed by the government through its agencies. As details of the dastardly act emerged, Nigerians paid attention, with a view to finding information that should help the government bring the perpetrators to book. For instance, we have since learnt that the number plate and engine number of the explosives-laden car driven into the Nyanya Motor Park survived the blast. It has also emerged that the driver of the car simply walked away from it and probably set off the explosion using a device from a safe distance.

These two pieces of information, in many citizens’ view, are enough for the government to use to bring the masterminds to justice. In most other countries of the world, by now, government officials would have trawled through closed circuit television (CCTV) footage to obtain a screen grab of that spineless murderer and circulate same in leaflets and posters, and through the electronic and print media, so that citizens could help in tracking down the terrorist. Also, since all vehicles are registered by the State, the number plate of the bomber’s vehicle as well as its engine number would have led the authorities to its owner, from where a headway could be made into exposing and apprehending the masterminds.

We don’t know if such leads are being pursued in the Nyanya bombing or any other before it in the FCT. But does the CCTV cover Nyanya and other outskirts of the federal capital, or is it restricted only to highbrow areas where the rich and powerful are found?

With the number plate and engine number of the bomber’s car, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) must come up with the name and address to which the car is registered. Or doesn’t the FRSC have a central data base of all registered vehicles in the country, despite the fact that the Commission had in recent years claimed to have been building one, passing the bill on to vehicle owners through redesigned number plates and licences?

Nigeria needs all the help it can get to tackle terrorist attacks in the country, including the use of technology like the CCTV and collaboration between the government and the governed. A situation where the government does not share information that could lead to the arrest of terrorists with citizens will be a setback to the anti-terror campaign. It is high time the FCT authorities extended CCTV coverage to the outskirts of Abuja, where most workers in the federal capital live, as these densely populated areas could again become soft targets for terrorists.

Defeating terrorism requires a collective effort, even as the use of technology is imperative for victory. To this end, we suggest that all business premises in the FCT, especially the plazas, malls, and elsewhere like the Nyanya motor park, should deploy technological tools to protect their premises. This much we can do, perhaps, to prevent a repeat of the Nyanya incident.

- Leadership

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