A cyber security expert, Mr Abayomi Ogunjobi, has urged a multidimensional approach and collective effort towards fighting and winning the war against insecurity in Nigeria.
Ogunjobi made the call during an interview in Akure, stated that it has been difficult to win the war against insecurity because terrorism is an ideology that cannot be defeated through physical weapons alone.
The cyber security expert and philanthropist therefore stressed the need for government to partner with community leaders to stem the tide of banditry in Nigeria, saying that it is beyond a battle that the military alone can win.
His words: “The military cannot do this work alone. We need to do it together as a community because it’s an ideology. Apart from that, we have heard reports of people coming from outside Nigeria to perpetrate atrocities on our soil. That places a responsibility on people who live in border communities to collaborate with the army.
“For example, if you see a stranger in your neighbourhood carrying a weapon, you should notify law enforcement agencies. The army is trying but they need the support of everyone.”
Ogunjobi, while describing terrorism as a complex web, lamented that the activities of illegal miners have helped to give banditry a boost, saying that illegal mining not only robs the nation of valuable resources but puts economic power in the hands of anti-state actors who turn around to make life unbearable for innocent citizens.
He identified illegal mining as one major means by which terrorists have access to funds to acquire weapons and recruit more people into their dangerous activities, stressing the need for government to increase its budget for security and ensure that the money is spent judiciously.
He said, “In terms of funding, it’s not about getting the money alone but how it’s being spent. From what we have heard, misappropriation of funds leads to losses for the military. If you look at the amount of funding Nigerian government budgets for the military in a year, compared to other countries, it’s not enough.
“Unfortunately, we have soldiers fighting and getting killed everyday using inferior weapons and facing enemies who have been indoctrinated and are ready to lay down their lives. Are we using the little that is being budgeted for them the right way?”
While pointing out the link between terrorism and cyber security, Ogunjobi explained that money laundering is one of the ways by which terrorists gain access to funds, the reason why a lot of banks now put measures in place to ensure that money passing through various accounts have no link with terrorists.
His words: “What most banks are doing now is to put measures in place by which they can monitor activities on some accounts. For example, in Nigeria today, an individual cannot transfer money beyond a certain limit; even as a corporate body, there is a limit to how much you can transact through your bank account.
“Those are systems put in place that show us a link between cyber security and terrorism. Money laundering is part of cyber security and banks are putting systems in place to checkmate that.”
Ogunjobi lamented that despite mandating all mobile phone users to register their lines and submit biometric details, it has been difficult for government to track terrorists through their communication lines, attributing this to a lack of centralised database that would have made tracking of criminals possible.
Talking about EFCC’s proposed strategy of identifying suspected terrorism sponsors by name, Ogunjobi said that is better to prosecute such people because they remain innocent until proven guilty by the court of law.
He also proposed a periodic security seminar where everybody would be enlightened on how to protect themselves and their roles in securing the nation at large.
