By Folorunsho Lawal
(FLOWEBUD NEWS) Federal government is to effectively tackle kidnapping, rural area bank robbery etc with NISPSAS in collaboration with NEMA , NAMA and other relevant agencies, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Interior, Barr Georgina Ehuriah has said.
Ehuriah who gave the hint while speaking on the importance of the Nigeria Internal Security and Public Safety Alert System (NISPSAS), urged all agencies involved in public security and safety to key into NISPSAS system to curb crime and boost national response to emergencies including flooding.
Ehuriah who was answering questions from newsmen on Wednesday in Ilorin said that NISPSAS, is now fully functional and required the collaborations of all emergency response and Management stakeholders for maximum impact.
She noted that effective collaboration on NISPSAS by relevant agencies would drastically enhance national response to emergencies like flooding, banditry and other heinous crimes and thereby help to safe more lives.
The Permanent Secretary stated that the alert mobile application, available for free download by members of the public enables anyone in any form of distress to alert emergency and security agencies for prompt response by the nearest ones.
“Anyone in distress is to click on the designated icon for the various emergencies for the nearest response agency to respond, ‘’ she explained, reiterating that the use of NISPSAS Mobile App “will ensure quick response to flood disaster and robbery on Nigerians roads,’’
She added that collaboration on NISPSAS APP by all relevant agencies would enhance effective joint Coordination of response to emergencies, adding that the system is also “aimed at monitoring agencies level of preparedness, as well as the degree of responsiveness to emergency distress from the public’’.
Commenting on the Permanent Secretary’s call for relevant Agencies to collaborate on NISPSAS, Senior Coordinator, Mr. Benson Olatunji recalled that two recent emergencies which resulted in loss of lives could have been avoided, if required collaboration had been implemented on the NISPSAS APP.
“Firstly is the drowning of a very senior Government officer in FCT after holding to scrub for over an hour without rescue. This would have been averted if NEMA had incorporated NISPSAS Monitoring Facility which would have enabled the public to use NISPSAS to send both distress and visual site image for prompt response.
“In similar emergency, Clergies and Passengers were kidnapped and many robbed of their possessions in a recent multiple vehicle robbery incident.
He noted that “these emergencies can be reduced if there is availability of Unman Area Vehicle (UAV) a.k.a Drone, which would have received distress from any of the intending victims and automatically deploy to the location and lock-on to the criminals,
The NISPSAS Senior Coordinator said that ‘’the crime would have been voided by the police or the Nigerian Airforce Helicopter, as they would have been able to use NISPSAS drone in locating the criminals.
Olatunji said ‘’another scenario of such emergency is bank bullion van hijack by armed robbers, same drone deployment and NISPSAS alert system can prevent bank bullion van hijack
“Rural areas in Nigeria are currently faced with difficulties in accessing banks in their locality due to closure of many banks as a result of constant attacks and robbery by criminals. To these effect, integration of NISPSAS to drone technology will help in reducing incidences of robbery on banks and restoring rural public access to banking facility.
Olatunji also stressed that the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA),which is responsible for the regulation and deployment of drone is a critical partner in the success of eradicating kidnapping and controlling of banditry with drone when fully integrated to NISPSAS facility.
He added that “without going through further rigorous policy formulations and regulations, the present mandate of both National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) as well as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) provides for seamless integration of NISPSAS to drone and flood response as well as Bank armed robbery prevention”.
Our correspondent confirmed at NISPSAS technical centre that various platform for integration is been worked on in line with the Permanent Secretary’s directives of all inclusive and combine stakeholders implementation of NISPSAS.
Olatunji also urged all relevant agencies “to as a matter of National urgency, approach the Directorate of Joint Services in the Ministry of Interior for NISPSAS Integration to enhance general service delivery.
