*study reveals Nigeria has 364 approved international border control points, 1,497 illegal, unmanned routes
By Ola Kay
Nigeria is set to rework its border security system by shifting from manual patrols to a technology-driven Smart Border Management System, SBMS, powered by drones, artificial intelligence and real-time intelligence sharing.
This was sequel to a proposal presented by Rear Admiral S.S. Lassa (rtd) at the National Boundary Commission (NBC) High-Level National Workshop on “Border Security, Resilience and Cross-Border Cooperation” in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
Rear Admiral Lassa, who drew example from the Broken Windows Theory by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling, cautioned against neglected border areas and weak enforcement, which he observed were capable of making room for serious crimes, including smuggling, terrorism, arms trafficking and illegal migration.
According to him, the nation’s humongous borders, spanning over 4,454km of land boundaries with Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, as well as its maritime space, required a modern security approach.
The presentation revealed that, while Nigeria had 364 approved international border control points, there were nearly 1,497 illegal, unmanned routes used by criminal networks.
Lassa also emphasized that conventional border patrols and checkpoints alone could no longer effectively take care of emerging threats, and called for deployment of drone systems equipped with thermal cameras, radar, LiDAR and other intelligence sensors to provide continuous surveillance.
He stressed that the proposed SBMS will integrate drones, satellites, biometrics, artificial intelligence, geospatial data and command centres to improve threat detection and response.
The presentation went further to recommended a National Border Data Fusion and Intelligence Centre to integrate information from immigration, customs, military, police and intelligence agencies.
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