The Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a fresh national emergency on security as part of additional strategies to wage a successful war against terrorism.
It also wants the emergency declaration to contain specific provisions targeted at people deliberately using fake news to create tension in the polity.
In a statement signed by its chairman, Dr Omoniyi Akinsiju, the group noted that the spate of fake news and false alarms in recent times are capable of distracting security operatives.
“We must express our concern over the growing deliberate mischief and utter recklessness that permeate virtually all social media platforms by some unpatriotic Nigerians who have made it their morbid responsibility to publish and share fake news, most often, with insidious content.
“To protect the larger society from these social media delinquents, we demand that President Tinubu declare a security emergency, all over again, with specific provisions to contain the excesses of irresponsible social media publishers, content creators, and bloggers, and to hold them accountable for the news they publish and share.
“We also demand an emergency-enabled law that restrains the reporting of terrorism cases at the risk of summary prison terms.”
The policy group acknowledged ongoing efforts to curb insecurity but urged the Tinubu administration to continue to invest in more sophisticated military platforms aside from addressing social economic factors in remote areas.
“While acknowledging ongoing efforts, it is our submission that, given the asymmetric warfare the Nigerian military and police force are contending with, more still needs to be done. This is, especially, in the face of the growing monstrosity of terrorism and other forms of criminality that threaten the very foundation of the country.
“We believe that the fighting troops should continuously be empowered with modern technology that enables a combination of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) technologies, electronic warfare (EW) systems, protected mobility, and advanced command-and-control software.
“Platforms like the Chinese CH-4 and Wing Loong II UAVs enable day-and-night tracking of insurgent movements and encampments across vast, forested terrain. Real-time satellite mapping and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) identify heavily concealed hideouts in forests and other remote areas.
“Infantry troops should be equipped with advanced thermal scopes to detect and neutralise militants operating under the cover of darkness. At the same time, vehicle-mounted and portable jammers should be acquired to break insurgent communication lines and prevent the remote detonation of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
“Other technology interventions required include systems used to intercept, locate, and track enemy coordination, allowing the military to pre-empt attacks and ambushes, integration with multi-domain software such as the AI-powered NiDAR platform that aggregate live feeds from legacy radars, thermal cameras, and drones into a unified interface, pivoted on intelligence software,” it added.
The Policy Initiative also said Nigerian military still needs to be more operationally diversified, with the creation of new fighting units and the strengthening of existing ones to fight armed gangs.
“It should be noted, however, that weapons and boots alone cannot eradicate insecurity. Success heavily depends on addressing socio-economic factors, improving intelligence gathering, and strengthening the Nigeria Police Force’s capabilities to manage internal civil matters, it added.
