Rep. Dachung Bagos (PDP-Plateau) has urged the Federal Government and security agencies to use cutting-edge technology to combat insecurity in the country.
Bagos, who represents the Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, made the call on Sunday during a condolence visit to the Durbi community of Shere District in Plateau’s Jos East Local Government Area.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), gunmen attacked the community on Friday night and killed two people.
The lawmaker, who criticized the country’s porous borders, urged the government to secure them as well as rural communities with modern security devices.
Bagos described the incident as unfortunate, expressing his deep sadness.
“Because our borders are porous, rural communities are now vulnerable to attacks by invaders who wreak havoc on the people and then flee.”
“My request to the government is based on the need to investigate 21st-century approaches to addressing insecurity.”
“We will not make any progress in combating insecurity if we continue to act as if we are still in the 1970s; we must act in accordance with the times.”
“In today’s world, you can track anything you want to track at any time and from any location.
“Using GPS and other technologies, you can see people moving at any point.”
“It’s not just about guns and troop deployment; we can do a lot with artificial intelligence and other modern technologies.”
“As a result, I call on the government to deploy technology to address the myriad of insecurity that plagues the nation,” he said.
The lawmaker also urged the government to strengthen the justice system by ensuring that criminals are prosecuted properly.
This, he claimed, would go a long way toward reducing insecurity in the country and promoting a peaceful society.
“Most of the time, when people are killed and we come to express our condolences, we tell them to remain calm and law-abiding.
“But the truth is that we can’t talk about peace without talking about justice; peace without justice is political peace.”
“As a result, the government must fortify our justice system in order to serve as a deterrent to others,” he said.
While urging residents to remain calm, Bagos urged them to defend themselves within the confines of the law and not wait for the government.
Mr Istegok Azi, Chairman of the Afizere Cultural Community Development Association (ACCDA) in the district, responded by thanking the lawmaker for his visit.
He, on the other hand, maintained that the community’s growing insecurity was exacerbated by a poor road network, a lack of mobile network services, and other infrastructure deficiencies.
“Some of the major challenges we face are a lack of good roads, poor mobile network services, and a lack of security outposts and other infrastructure.”
“Through you, we are appealing to the government to come to our aid.” “We believe that if some of these issues are addressed, we will have only minor security issues here,” he said.