Nigeria’s worsening security situation has claimed more than 6,800 lives in the first six months of 2025, security and data analyst Engineer Mustapha Kazeem Lusty has revealed. Lusty raised the alarm while delivering the keynote address at the 2025 Annual Lecture and Awards Ceremony of the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) held in Ikeja, Lagos.
Presenting on the theme “Harnessing Technological Innovations for Crime Prevention and Control in Nigeria,” he stressed that the country’s current security architecture is outdated and incapable of mitigating today’s complex threats without a systematic infusion of advanced technology.
Lusty disclosed additional worrying statistics, noting that over 5,400 Nigerians were abducted in the same period, while March 2025 alone witnessed a spike in violent incidents 179 deaths, 115 injuries, and 217 kidnappings recorded within just two weeks.
Referencing the Nigeria Violent Conflict Database, he stated that banditry accounted for nearly 75% of all kidnapping victims in 2024, highlighting the dominance of non-state armed groups. He also cited National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data showing 51.9 million criminal incidents recorded between 2023 and 2024, with ransom payments estimated at N2.2 trillion, a figure he described as “economically crippling and socially destructive.”
The engineer warned that the escalating death toll, the spread of organised crime, and the inability of security forces to respond effectively have eroded citizens’ confidence in state institutions.
According to him, the gap between state capacity and criminal operations is pushing communities toward self-help, vigilantism, and extra-legal defence systems, which in turn intensifies instability and weakens the rule of law.
Lusty Proposes Six-Point Strategy for Technology-Driven Security Reform. To reverse the tide, Lusty outlined a technology-centric security reform blueprint, urging the government and security agencies to adopt a coordinated, data-driven approach. His recommendations include:
1. AI-powered early warning systems to predict and track emerging threats.
2. A National Intelligent Vision Centre for integrated real-time surveillance.
3. Encrypted community reporting platforms to improve grassroots intelligence.
4. Deployment of surveillance drones and body-worn cameras across policing units.
5. Secure digital communication networks to prevent interception and sabotage.
6. Enhanced financial monitoring tools to track ransom flows, money laundering, and organised criminal funding.
He added that local development of technology, stronger forensic capability, cybersecurity upgrades, joint intelligence dashboards, and transparent security reporting were necessary to ensure lasting reforms.
While emphasising the transformative role of innovation, Lusty cautioned that technology alone cannot address the deep-rooted causes of insecurity.
“The battle against terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping cannot be won by gadgets alone,” he said. “We need strong institutions, ethical governance, active communities, and sustained civic accountability. Technology must be a tool not a replacement for leadership.”
