President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate deployment of over 5,000 surveillance cameras in Plateau State in response to the recent killings that have rocked the region.
The president issued the directive on Thursday, April 2, while addressing political and traditional leaders at a town hall meeting in Jos.
The gathering came days after the Palm Sunday attack in Angwan Rukuba, which claimed more than 27 lives.
“The Honourable Minister for Communication is here to give you assurance that we are going to install immediately a network of cameras that will help the law enforcement agencies to identify the troublemakers instantly, over 5,000 of that,” Tinubu said.
He called on Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, to provide details of the initiative.
Tinubu also charged security chiefs at the meeting, including the Inspector-General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff, to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“I thank the men and women of the armed forces, particularly the police, for what they are doing and what they are about to do.
“You must unearth and find the killers. I’m glad IGP is here. I’m glad the Chief of Defence Staff is here too. I’m glad the Minister of Defence is here,” the president said.
While acknowledging that nothing could truly make up for the loss of loved ones, Tinubu promised that the government would support affected families.
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He announced plans to set up a committee comprising the state governor and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs to document losses and recommend compensation.
“Immediately we return to Abuja, the committee, as mentioned, will include the governor and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs. Come see me. Take numeric analysis. You are a data person for the victims.
“Let’s see what we can do for their losses. We cannot replace human beings, but whatever we can do to give them minimum comfort, we will,” he said.
The president also met with victims during the visit, including a woman named Rhoda who lost her son in the attack.
Explaining the camera project, Tijani said the devices would use artificial intelligence technology to enable real-time monitoring and quicker response to security threats.
“We will work with the governor to ensure that we can deepen the digital infrastructure that we have. But on top of that, as well, we will have a network of artificial intelligence-enabled cameras all over the state, starting with Jos,” the minister said.
He cited successful deployments in Lagos and Enugu as proof that the technology works.
“We already have similar solutions in states like Lagos. I think the latest one in Nigeria is in Enugu. I’ve been there. It works really well,” Tijani added.
The minister expressed personal distress over the continuing violence in the state.
“It breaks my heart, personally, that this is still going on after so many years, and we will put everything under my ministry to support this cause,” he said.