The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), has called for the reintroduction of modern, technology-driven tollgates on major highways across Nigeria as part of measures to strengthen national security and track criminal activities.
General Musa made the call while speaking at the Abuja Round Table, themed “Promise to Proof: The Renewed Hope Conversation,” during a session on protecting lives and livelihoods through safe farming, travel and trade.
The Defence Minister described tollgates as important non-kinetic security infrastructure, noting that modern technology could transform them into effective tools for monitoring vehicular movements and identifying suspected criminals.
He said automated tolling systems equipped with modern Information and Communications Technology could capture vehicle registration numbers, track movements across interstate highways and assist security agencies in tracing suspects without cash transactions.
General Musa also advocated a streamlined national identification system integrating unique identification numbers, facial recognition and biometric data to eliminate identity-related security loopholes and improve intelligence gathering.
On the deployment of troops for internal security operations, the Minister explained that although the Armed Forces are constitutionally mandated to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity, military intervention becomes necessary when security challenges exceed the operational capacity of the police.
He, however, expressed concern over the prolonged deployment of military personnel across different parts of the country, particularly in the North-West, saying it had kept many troops away from their families for extended periods.
He said the Federal Government was taking steps to strengthen police recruitment, training and operational capacity to enable the police assume greater responsibility for internal security, allowing the military to gradually return to its primary constitutional role.
He urged Nigerians to rise above ethnic, religious and regional differences, stressing the need to see one another first as fellow citizens.
General Musa reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment, under the Renewed Hope Agenda, to creating a secure environment where Nigerians can freely farm, travel and conduct businesses across the country.
