Nigeria should introduce security awareness into school curricula and expand the use of surveillance technology to tackle kidnapping, protect transport corridors and secure critical supply chains.
Executive Director of Operations and Technical at Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, Warredi Enisuoh made the call on the sidelines of the second Nigeria Transport Summit at Providence Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, warning that public unawareness and weaknesses in transport infrastructure continued to expose people and commercial activities to security threats.
He said security education should begin at an early age to help children and communities recognise risks and take preventive measures against criminal attacks.
“The amount of insecurity that has somehow inflicted this country is not reflected in the day-to-day education of our children in school. We should start teaching insecurity in school now,” he said.
According to him, criminals often exploit the assumption that individuals will not become victims of kidnapping or other security threats.
“Everybody seems to feel it’s not their business or ‘not my portion,’ but the person who was taken yesterday felt the same way,” Enisuoh said, calling for the inclusion of security lessons in the national educational syllabus.
Speaking on the summit theme, “Navigating Global Disruptions and the Road Ahead: Mobility, Energy and Trade Facilitation for a Resilient Future,” he also advocated modern surveillance systems and improved infrastructure to strengthen security across Nigeria’s transport and logistics networks.
He said seaports and highways needed to be redesigned to address contemporary security challenges, citing aviation security measures, including perimeter fencing, access controls and international audits, as practices other transport sectors could adopt.
Enisuoh called for greater automation at ports, including artificial intelligence-powered command centres and facial recognition systems to identify and track individuals across locations.
He disclosed that his team was designing a security network for Delta State using facial recognition cameras capable of tracking individuals across different servers and locations.
He also advocated deeper, consolidated seaports capable of accommodating larger vessels, arguing that monitoring fewer large ships could be easier than overseeing numerous smaller vessels operating in shallow waters.
On highway security, Enisuoh said drones equipped with thermal sensors could help detect kidnapped victims and suspects in remote areas, particularly along vulnerable routes such as the East-West Road.
“If every state patrols its section using drones, we secure both human lives and the movement of commercial goods,” he said.
The security expert also raised concerns about crude oil theft in Nigerian waters, linking increased international pressure on the country’s oil resources to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz.
He disclosed that Tantita Security Services, working with national security forces, had intercepted two foreign vessels allegedly attempting to steal crude oil within the 48 hours preceding the summit.
According to him, the company has deployed long-range surveillance drones for continuous maritime patrols covering the coastline from Warri to the Ghanaian border.
Enisuoh urged the Federal Government to strengthen the protection of Nigeria’s territorial waters against the illegal exploitation of marine resources, including fisheries, while accelerating the development of solid minerals to reduce dependence on petroleum.
He alleged that some fish sold in Lagos markets as imported were caught in Nigerian waters before being sold back to consumers, stressing the need for stronger regulation and protection of the country’s marine resources.
He said proper exploration and regulation of solid minerals could expand national revenue, improve public services and reduce the economy’s reliance on oil.