Nigeria will soon deploy robots, AI to fight crime, says senate

• Youth Council seeks presidential assent to forensic investigation bill
• Air Force takes delivery of the first batch of Tucano aircraft from USA

The Senate has indicated that the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has established a centre for artificial intelligence and robotics to combat crime and criminality in Nigeria.

This was disclosed when the upper legislative chamber considered a report on ‘The Spate of Growing Insecurity in Nigeria’ by the Joint Committee on Legislative Compliance and Communications during plenary.

The chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Adelere Adeyemi Oriolowo (APC, Osun West), in his presentation, revealed that the SIM registration exercise by the Ministry, which makes the provision of the National Identity Number compulsory, has drastically reduced the use of phones by kidnappers for the purpose of negotiations.

According to him, the numerous agents recruited by communications companies to register SIM card owners across the 774 local government areas of Nigeria compromised the earlier successes of registration.

He, however, explained that the development prompted the Ministry to seek Presidential approval for the temporary suspension of the sale of SIM cards and for the merger of all SIMS to the National Identity Numbers of their respective owners.

He added that the Joint Committee also found there were other programmes and projects by the Ministry and its agencies to support security agencies in fighting crime.

President Muhammadu Buhari meanwhile was urged, yesterday, to sign the forensic investigation bill to facilitate the fight against corruption.

The call, contained in a statement signed by Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) president, Comrade Isah Abubakar, was predicated on the need to use the bill which was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly last month to complement the war against the corruption.

This came as the first batch of six A-29 Super Tucano aircraft procured departed the United States of America on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, en route to Nigeria.

Air force spokesman, Edward Gabkwet, who made the disclosure, said the aircraft would be leapfrogged through five countries of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Algeria before arriving in Nigeria towards the end of July 2021.

He said: “An official induction ceremony of the aircraft into the inventory of the Nigerian Air Force is already being planned at a later date in August 2021 to be announced in due course.

“The Office of the Director of Public Relations and Information remains open to any inquiry regarding the arrival and induction of the aircraft.”