ABUJA — The complete collapse of Nigeria’s cyber-intelligence and tracking infrastructure came to the fore during Tuesday’s Senate plenary session, as Senate President Godswill Akpabio openly questioned how tech-savvy bandits can casually upload videos showcasing millions of naira in ransom cash without facing arrest.
The damning security failure was brought to light by Akpabio, who slammed the nation’s premier intelligence agencies for failing to utilize basic digital tracking methods to apprehend kidnappers.
“The Department of State Services and the police should be able to track their movements and arrest them because this is a show of impunity, as if there is no law at all,” Akpabio stated, visibly frustrated by the institutional lapse. “That idea of showing themselves, showing the cash collected and displaying it is a deliberate way of challenging and ridiculing the government.”
Despite multi-billion naira annual budget allocations for cyber-surveillance, digital forensics, and mandatory SIM-NIN linkage policies designed to curb kidnapping, criminal syndicates continue to operate freely on platforms like TikTok and Facebook. They openly negotiate ransoms, make video calls from known hideouts, and post celebratory videos holding cash bundles alongside sophisticated firearms.
Security analysts have repeatedly pointed out that locating content creators on social media requires standard digital tools that are readily available to law enforcement globally. The total failure of the Cybercrime Unit, Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the police to track these viral criminals exposes a systemic lack of political will, inter-agency rivalry, and a complete refusal to deploy actionable intelligence.
By allowing bandits to run digital public relations campaigns unchecked, the security architecture has not only left citizens completely vulnerable but has also normalized kidnapping as a highly lucrative, zero-consequence enterprise in Nigeria.
