Renowned security analyst Bone Efoziem has urged the Federal Government and security agencies to deploy advanced surveillance technology to effectively monitor Nigeria’s porous land, air, and maritime borders. He warned that failure to modernize border management is enabling arms smuggling, insurgency, and organized crime to thrive.
Speaking at the 2025 Annual Lecture and Awards Ceremony of the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) in Ikeja, Efoziem emphasized that Nigeria’s greatest security vulnerabilities lie not at international airports or seaports, but across thousands of unmanned land routes that cut through rural settlements and border communities.
According to him, many villages located around the country’s borders have become informal entry corridors for smugglers, human traffickers, and armed criminals. These routes, he noted, are virtually impossible to monitor using traditional manpower-based security systems.
“Almost every village around the border is a potential route into the country,” Efoziem said. “Even security officers on the ground cannot monitor all these points effectively. This is where technology, like drones and remote monitoring systems, becomes essential.”
Highlighting the imbalance in capabilities along border zones, Efoziem lamented that soldiers and border operatives are often forced to confront insurgents who possess superior equipment such as night-vision goggles, sophisticated rifles, and high-capacity vehicles.
He stressed that while security personnel operate largely with outdated tools and limited surveillance, criminal networks take advantage of the loopholes, moving contraband and weapons into remote communities undetected.
The security expert called on authorities to redefine Nigeria’s border management framework by integrating unmanned aerial surveillance, sensor-based perimeter systems, and real-time tracking technology to detect illegal movements and trigger rapid response operations.
He also advocated for community-driven intelligence platforms, enabling residents to anonymously report suspicious activities or cross-border threats, thereby improving information flow to security agencies.
“Strengthening border security with technology is critical to reducing the flow of arms, drugs, and criminals into Nigeria,” he said. “Proactive monitoring is the only sustainable solution to the nation’s border challenges.”