IROHAM: Good Data Base, Intelligent Communication Is Way Out

Retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Don Iroham. In this chat with ODITA SUNDAY urged president Buhari to champion installation of CCTV cameras in every city in Nigeria. He also recommends a National Data Base, where all Nigerians are registered with their biodata stored for reference.

How do you see the calls for overhaul of the DSS?
THESE calls appear to be harsh, because it is like cutting the nose to spite the face. Nigerians may not know about several successes recorded by the DSS over the years, which may not be in the public domain. Having said that, we must hasten to add that there is always room for improvement in any human endeavor.

Going by its origins, the DSS have had some turbulent times. Formed originally as the National Security Organisation (NSO), in 1976, by Obasanjo, after the failed Bukar Suka Dimka-led coup, its primary purpose was for domestic and foreign intelligence gathering. The NSO came into being by accident of history from its parent, the Nigeria Police. After the failed coup, which claimed the life of former Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed, Obasanjo accused the then Inspector General of Police, M.D. Yussuf, of not foiling the coup. The IGP excused this failure, as the inability of the Special Branch to Police the military. Obasanjo, in anger, brought the Research Department (RD), hitherto, responsible for External Intelligence, and merged it with the Special Branch, to form the NSO. At inception, the bulk of the officers and men of the organisation were from the Nigeria Police.

The DSS’s primary responsibility is intelligence gathering within the country and the protection of senior government officials, like the President, governors. The NSO is the parent body of the present DSS, when it was dissolved in 1986.The DSS is under the control of the National Security Adviser, NSA. There are various security intelligence outfits in Nigeria, which I would like to mention. They include, the National Intelligence Agency, the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Bureau, whose immediate past head, is the current Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase. It is known as FIB. It is the only arm of the Police Force that provides intelligence on crime and National Security. Other security outfits also have their localised intelligence units some impacting tangentially on national security.

Since we have a national police force that fight crime as its primary duty, it behooves the DSS to concentrate more on domestic threats to national security. Routine issues like electoral violence, rigging of ballots, thefts, fraud, robbery and other crimes of a routine nature should be left for the agencies specifically empowered by law to tackle. We yearn for our DSS to work undercover, at all times, basically, unless occasion demands otherwise.

Why do you think friction exists among the security agencies?
Now, with this plethora of intelligence outfits in Nigeria, why then do crime and terrorism related incidents keep cropping up? Some even defying logic. We all know that the issue of Boko Haram and bombings have taken the front burner on national discourse and solutions must be found urgently to restore the confidence of the citizenry. The burden of internal security lies squarely on the head of DSS. That is not to say that other agencies, as mentioned above, do not play roles in cooperation with the DSS to fight internal enemies. As is typical in most developing countries, there is always a scramble by security outfits to want to take credit for any security successes recorded especially if it’s of highly rated nature. Hence, where there are overlaps, you are bound to have friction. Recall the case of the Madalla Catholic Church bomber and the cross fire between the DSS and the Police over the suspect.

Let the Government of ‘change’ take it upon itself and determine to install CCTV cameras in at least 20 major cities within a year. For a start, we can deprive the states of so-called security votes for the period. Use this to get CCTV cameras working. Next is to build on the data so far collected from the National Population Commission, the National Registration Agency, the INEC and GSM service providers.

How do we solve this friction?
Since we have a national police force that fight crime as its primary duty, it behooves the DSS to concentrate more on domestic threats to national security. Routine issues like electoral violence, rigging of ballots, thefts, fraud, robbery and other crimes of a routine nature should be left for the agencies specifically empowered by law to tackle.

We yearn for our DSS to work undercover, at all times, basically, unless occasion demands otherwise.
In Malaysia, driving from the International Airport to Kuala Kedah, a distance of over 100 km, you would hardly see any security man in uniform, no roadblocks, no siren blowing for VIPs. Ask their police guard why it is so, and he will tell you that there are many invisible eyes watching everyone and everywhere so there was no point for heavy police presence along the way.

In Nigeria, we have a lot of problems with intelligence gathering. If there is bomb blast in Abuja, I can bet you that there would be traffic gridlock in many areas of the city as a reactive measure. Soon after a week or two, the noose on the city would be untied and it is business as usual until the next bomb blast.

So, what should DSS and others do?
Firstly, there must be a National Data Base, where all Nigerians are registered with their bio data stored for reference. Right now, there is duplicity in these matters. Secondly, no modern State can fight crime, using outdated crime fighting strategies — when you don’t have functional security surveillance cameras in major cities to know the perpetrators of high profile terrorist activities. Check how many days it took Thai authorities in Bangkok to nab the bombers at the Buddhist Temple. How was the principal suspect arrested? By playing back the video footage of what transpired at the scene then. This is not rocket science. Our politicians would say it is ‘doable’.
Why do we keep groping as it were in the dark for what we can easily fix. Is something the matter with our DNA or what?

No modern State can fight crime, using outdated crime fighting strategies — when you don’t have functional security surveillance cameras in major cities to know the perpetrators of high profile terrorist activities. Check how many days it took Thai authorities in Bangkok to nab the bombers at the Buddhist Temple. How was the principal suspect arrested? By playing back the video footage of what transpired at the scene then. This is not rocket science. Our politicians would say it is ‘doable’. Why do we keep groping as it were in the dark for what we can easily fix. Is something the matter with our DNA or what?

What do you recommend?
I recommend that DSS should undergo a thorough overhaul, but not before the necessary foundation for the takeoff of a real secret service is laid. Institutions are weak in Africa, so, there is need for a Paradigm shift. Laws are made to be obeyed by all and sundry. The concept of the ‘African Bigman’ must be discarded. What kind of security do we have at our airports? Was it in Nigeria that a cabin assistant in aircraft was able to take onboard a banned item without notice? What if it were a bomb?

Let the Government of ‘change’ take it upon itself and determine to install CCTV cameras in at least 20 major cities within a year. For a start, we can deprive the states of so-called security votes for the period. Use this to get CCTV cameras working. Next is to build on the data so far collected from the National Population Commission, the National Registration Agency, the INEC and GSM service providers. Experts can be brought to harness all these data and use same to build a solid database for all Nigerians. With a few tinkering here and there by additions and subtractions and including foreigners resident in Nigeria, we would have started on a good note.

When we are doing this we are training young men and women in conjunction with older hands on what it takes to be a secret agent. Many of our DSS officials are really good; but the local environment has robbed them of the zeal to perform optimally. When the necessary things have been done, the NSA, who coordinates and sits, as head of the Joint Security Committee, will so easily assign duties to other outfits like DMI, Police etc; to avoid unnecessary clash. The NIA will also not have many problems. In conclusion, when the DSS is hemmed in to perform its primary duty of containing internal security threats to the country, we are going to record huge successes. If the proper tools are not there to engage them, they must keep themselves busy settling marital disputes and other base things. We must not let them a descend to such base levels. We should be proud of our DSS. Let the Government create the necessary environment to make this happen. May this happen soon.