The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has questioned the persistence of insecurity in Nigeria, arguing that modern technology should enable the government to locate individuals and respond more effectively to criminal activities.
Obi spoke in an exclusive interview with ARISE News on Thursday while responding to questions on how his administration would tackle kidnappings and ransom demands.
‘Government knows where people are’
Obi argued that advances in technology had made it possible for governments to determine the locations of individuals, questioning why such capabilities had not been effectively deployed to combat criminal activities.
“In today’s world, you can know where people are,” he said.
He also questioned the deployment of government surveillance resources, suggesting that capabilities allegedly used to monitor political opponents should instead be directed towards tracking criminals.
“Today, the government knows where I am. All those equipment’s they’re using to focus on opponents, should we focus on criminals?” Obi asked.
‘I’ll focus on criminals’
The former Anambra State governor said his administration, if elected, would not be preoccupied with political opponents but would focus its resources on tackling criminal activities.
“I’m not going to follow any opponents. I don’t care where they are. I don’t care what they do. It’s not my business. I’m going to focus it where it is,” he said.
Obi questions security response
Obi said the continued occurrence of kidnappings despite advances in technology suggested that there were shortcomings in Nigeria’s security response.
“I don’t know who, but there’s something wrong. Not in today’s world. Because we’re serious. It’s happening to everybody. It’s happening every day. So, there’s something wrong,” he said.
He maintained that the government needed to deploy available technology and resources more effectively to protect Nigerians and confront criminal activities.
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