Terrorism: US to Offer Nigeria Modern Technology to Fortify Border Security

Police Headquarters Senator Iroegbu and Adedayo Akinwale The United States of America (USA) Tuesday met with the federal government to express their willingness to assist Nigeria in offering modern technological assistance to fortify security at the nation’s borders with the aim of curbing the activities of terrorist in the country. The leader of the US delegation, and the Counter Terrorism Deputy Secretary, Ms. Anne Witkowsky, said the aim of the visit was to avail Nigeria of the modern technology of securing borders by showing the Personal Identifications Secure Comparison System (PICES) and the Demonstration of the PICES equipment. Witkowsky explained that the PICES equipment was a border control system with ten finger prints, which portrays that if the name and other means of identification were falsified, the ten finger prints cannot be captured. Receiving the delegation in his office, the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro said it had become necessary at this point in time to be availed with the modern technology of securing the Nigerian borders. Moro admitted that it had got at a point when the government realised that while making effort to contain the situation and changing tactics too, it became difficult to contain the situation due to the level of technology. He said: “When it was discovered that some undesirable elements that are criminally minded have infiltrated the country, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has been up and doing. “Our rather unusual approach of offering the option of dialogue is hardly an option in any terrorist situation”. Against this backdrop, he noted that, “government strongly believes that if dialogue can’t bring the much needed peace, then we go for it, of course you are well aware that we are in the process”. The minister further emphasised that the most important thing for the country now was to deploy modern technology to combat the menace as the current security situation now has gone beyond relying on the traditional method of securing the borders. “Am aware that some of the important infrastructure that is required for installing the technology may be lacking at some places in some parts of our borders right now but we have gone round our borders to find and put them in place,” he said. Moro however added that everything that was needed to secure the border would be deployed. He clarified that the equipment would be supplied by US but manned by the officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service.