Tackling Crimes with Tracking Devices

TACKLING CRIMES WITH TRACKING DEVICES

      Mobile technology such as tracking devices, which has become a powerful crime-fighting tool, has shown significant impact in recent years on most countries across the globe. A tracker is specially programmed equipment meant to trace the actual location of a person or thing. However, it’s worth noting that devices like cell phones, computers, cameras, and what have you, can equally function as a tracker if adequately utilized.

      Cell phones, particularly Smartphone, contain inbuilt mechanism including Global Positioning System (GPS) among other location information that the various law enforcement agencies find valuable. Information like voice call history, text/multimedia messages, phonebook contacts, web browser history, and email, can tremendously help investigators to gather people’s aims and the occasions they have attended, thereby providing the required direction.

      Tracking people via their mobile devices has been adopted by several agencies in most nations, and has become very much a part of most investigations because virtually every adult now possesses a cell phone. Cell phone records can identify calls made and received. The cellular towers that were used in the conversation, data communication, as well as the Short Message Service (SMS), can as well be obtained.  The cell phone records hold latitude and longitude information that can be used as a historical reference to identify where the mobile device was at a particular period.

       Similarly, citizens are advised to regularly send digital photos and videos of crimes in their custody to apt quarters. New technology allows sent images to be directly linked to the record of a related call, and be forwarded to emergency respondents on their way to crime scene. A good example of such technology is CrimePush, a multiplatform Smartphone app that allows users to report crimes effectively and at ease. It equally gives users the ability to forward multiple GPS-tagged distress messages to designated emergency contacts/quarters.

       High-profile criminal incidents all over the world have proven beyond doubts how valuable mobile phone images can be during crime investigations. The bombings in the United Kingdom (UK), precisely London, in July 2005 marked a turning point in news coverage and the role of camera phone images. Witnesses to the attacks used their cell phone cameras to record their experiences in the aftermath. Not only did it signal a new era of citizen journalism, but police in London were able to use the sent photos as clues towards tracking the terrorists that masterminded the bombings.  

       SMS is more discreet and safer in some circumstances to include burglaries and kidnapping. Several police departments in various countries have text-a-tip programs that allow people to send anonymous messages from their cell phones. With a view to providing people with a confidential means of communication, SMSs are sent to a separate third-party server where identifying information is removed and assigned an encrypted alias to ensure callers’ anonymity.

       The various security agencies in Nigeria, especially the police, are required to fully employ the use of various tracking devices in issues regarding crimes. Technology is being developed and deployed by several criminals to perpetrate crimes, with the aim of leaving no, or little, digital footprint. This ranges from selling illicit goods on the internet to mass identity theft and credit card fraud. Vehicle crime also poses a dynamic challenge to these agencies; vehicle crime investigators are invariably faced with ever-changing technology as well as regular introduction of new vehicle models. Modern vehicles are more like mobile computers constantly threatened by hackers. The police must take note of this fact and advance on it.

       Digital forensics is a branch of science encompassing the recovery and investigations of materials found in digital devices including computers, cell phones, and cameras. The police will continue to be challenged to acquire the needed tools and training to perform competent digital forensic investigations, and keep pace with criminal activity. Digital forensic department ought to be designed in all police quarters, and such unit should be sustained by continually providing the required equipment, manpower, and environment.

       Legislation can also be of help. Hence, lawmakers should provide a law, mandating all vehicles coming to Nigeria to bear micro-dotting technology. This would ensure that each vehicle contain approximately 1000 hidden markers that hold the identity of that vehicle, so that, in the event of the vehicle being stolen, it can be easily identified. Importantly, the locations of the 0.5mm dots are not visible to thieves, thus cannot be altered by them. The police personnel should also be trained on how to indentify data-dot technology.

       The recently signed Cybercrime Act should equally be duly implemented by setting up a special unit under the Police Force that would be in charge of crimes involving the internet. Such unit must possess all the needed devices and experts. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is, on its part, expected to play a major role in crimes pertaining to the use of cell phones, thus the police must endeavour to collaborate with them.

       For Nigeria to properly tackle all kinds of crimes, the relevant authorities must boast of various well-equipped sensitive units on digital investigations, cyber security, and electronic discovery. Think about it!

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-ICT/Engineering Consultant, Researcher, Blogger, Analyst & Activist-

Founder/CEO, Docfred (Nig.) Ent. - Owerri

____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

http://frednwaozor.blogspot.com

Twitter: @mediambassador        

        

Chibok Girls' Release and The Opaque Part

CHIBOK GIRLS’ RELEASE AND THE OPAQUE PART

       The last time I checked, Thursday 13^th October 2016 remained a remarkable and memorable day in the Nigerian history. In the early hours of that fateful day, 21 out of the remaining 218 kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls were released by their Boko Haram captors in the town of Banki, near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon. It was gathered that they were handed over to a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who reportedly provided assistance during the transfer deal.

        It would be recalled that over two years ago, in the midnight of 14^th April 2014 precisely, the dreaded Boko Haram sect invaded a government secondary boarding school situated in the Chibok community, Borno State where girls from surrounding areas including those of the said school had gone to take their final exams, and made away with 219 of them.

        Prior to the incident, several schools in the region had shut down owing to the Boko Haram terrorism, thus the students of virtually all the affected schools were transferred to the Chibok school because it had not been attacked before, little did they know that the worst would befall the school. It’s noteworthy that one of the captives escaped from the captors barely few months ago.

       The abduction of the girls, to say the least, brought a colossal nightmare to not just their parents/guardians but Nigerians at large. Ever since they were taken away, series of campaigns regarding their anticipated return had been intensified. The leading campaigner remains the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group. As a result of the intensity of the BBOG movement as well as the international condemnation received, on May 29, 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari was being sworn in, he stated in his inaugural speech that the war against the Boko Haram terrorists could not assume to have been won if the Chibok girls were yet to be released.

       Since then, Nigerians had been earnestly looking forward to embrace their return, not until last Thursday when the Federal Government (FG) took everyone by surprise by breaking the news of the release of 21 of them. The girls’ release was indeed mind-blowing considering that just last month, the FG announced that the ongoing negotiations with the terrorist group had broken down. Someone might want to inquire why the negotiations later become successful after the breakdown.

       Well, there have been conflicting reports in various quarters, both home and abroad, as regards what facilitated the release. It was gathered that four Boko Haram commanders were freed as part of a swap. Another news making the rounds is insinuating that a ‘handsome’ ransom – in millions of dollars – was paid by the Swiss government on behalf of the Nigerian government. Though the latter had emphatically refuted the purported propaganda, Nigerians are yet to be convinced with a view that ‘nothing goes for nothing’.

        The thought that the girls couldn’t be freed by a set of terrorists without receiving anything in return has continued to generate fathomless mixed feelings among the citizenry. The opaque part of the good news has been a thing of great concern that needs to be addressed in earnest by anyone who means well for Nigeria. The followers cannot be kept in the dark while the leaders are making frantic efforts toward the betterment of the country. The government needs to comprehend the dangers inherent in misinformation. The followers deserve to be kept abreast of happenings of any kind.

        Whatever step the FG must have taken, and is yet to take, it ought to be prepared to intimate the people who are invariably and ubiquitously regarded as the majority. No rational parent, even if he/she is not directly affected by the ordeal, wouldn’t want the girls to be release in return for whatsoever. And, the return of those teenagers has, ab initio, been the prayer of every well-meaning citizen of this country. But the disappointing side is the act of relegating the people to the background in regard to what prompted the peaceful release of the girls. I’m also reliably informed that the Nigerian Army, who has been the leading the country’s war against terrorism, was equally kept in the dark.

       The FG has unarguably done novel towards ensuring that the 21 teenagers were freed. In fact, they have succeeded in doing what Napoleon Bonaparte could not actualize. Hence, they deserve a big applause. Notwithstanding, they must acknowledge that this is supposed to be a collective odyssey, not a one-man show. The isolation is simply not unlike a situation whereby you are fighting the devil and your partner abruptly started seeing you as the devil.

       While the return of our precious girls is worth celebrating, the FG ought not to forget that the teeming Nigerians are seriously awaiting some explanations. Think about it!   

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-

Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research

& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador

    

Imo, The Refuse Dumps and My Worry

THE REFUSE DUMPS AND MY INTENSE WORRY

       The last time I checked, the profoundly stinking refuse dumps situated along the heartbeat of Owerri metropolis – Douglas Road, which lasted for almost two months, had been painstakingly evacuated. The evacuation took place between Monday October 10 and Tuesday October 11, 2016 via the effort of some well-spirited individuals from the state. 

        It’s not anymore news that from the month of August till barely penultimate week, the ancient city of Owerri, the Imo State capital territory was wholly assaulted by colossal and unbearable refuse dumps that covered virtually the entire locations on the famous Douglas Road – a pathway to yet another popular city in Abia State, Aba precisely. It’s noteworthy that, the affected area is the locality of the ever booming Ekeukwu-Owerri market.

        It’s needless to state that during the period under review, residents of Owerri as well as travellers taking the said route suffered an untold hardship. The arena was indeed a deathtrap, that, every individual and entity was extremely marvelled over the anomaly. People became more baffled and mesmerized when they realized the Imo State government couldn’t do anything, nor had a tangible plan, towards getting rid of the ugly sight. Well concerned stakeholders of like minds, including my person, made frantic efforts to fathom what actually prompted the stagnant posture of the government, considering the fact that any rational government needn’t be told or reminded that the menace in question wasn’t just an eyesore but a severe health-threatening jinx that required an urgent attention.

        In view of the aforementioned quest, I reliably learnt that the government’s dormant mood was informed by a court order issued to it, restraining it from tampering with the affected market, Ekeukwu Owerri. It would be recalled that the Governor Rochas Okorocha-led government was making an unrelenting move to relocate the market to a different locality, with the view that it is defacing the capital territory, particularly the Owerri municipal. Hence, the members of the host community who frowned over the intent, which they described as ‘uncalled for’, sued the government in a law court.

       What I’m yet to comprehend was how a court injunction retraining the government from tampering with the market got to do with the refuse dumps. That you were ordered to suspend every intended move to relocate a market pending when the court would serve a final verdict regarding the case shouldn’t be the reason for ignoring a life-threatening incident. How did the proposed relocation of a market concern the awaited evacuation of waste materials? I am trying to reconcile these in a way it would suit my understanding.

         Permit me to link the negligence to the information I received during the crisis. According to the notice, the government reportedly abandoned the refuse to punish some indigenes who have been fighting the Gov. Okorocha’s administration. ‘The government deliberately abandoned the refuse’? If such news held water, one would wonder what came over the highly revered government to have considered making such utterance publicly let alone implementing the uncalled policy.

        We need to understand that there is a strong tendency that those ‘fighting the Okorocha’s administration’ might not be residents of Imo State. The so-called hindrances to the Rescue Mission Administration, or the purported enemies to the governor, might be residing in Abuja or even outside the country. Needless to say that such punishment was not just baseless, but preposterous. I’m still of the view that the well celebrated governor could not think of such thing let alone making it public; hence, there could be a mix-up somewhere. But, if truly the government actually meant to punish its ‘enemies’, then it must get itself examined because apparently all is not well.

        Lest I forget, posterity won’t forgive me if I fail to appreciate those who assisted to ensure that the rubbish was taken out of the area. It’s crucial to acknowledge that a socio-cultural group known as Dozie-Mezie Owerri was behind the laudable initiative. The group reportedly provided ten dump trucks as well as three pay loaders for the exercise that lasted for over forty-eight hours. No doubt, they deserve our unalloyed applause having done what Napoleon couldn’t do.

       My intense worry at the moment is, fear of the unknown. Though the rubbish had been duly evacuated, I’m still deeply concerned what the future entails. If Imolites could pass through such unimagined neglect for several weeks, I wonder what they stand to face in the nearest future. Maybe, they would be asked to vacate their various homes for strangers; who knows? This calls for a thorough thought by anyone who means well for the state and its environs.

        It’s conspicuously high time our leaders stopped linking politics to governance. Let’s desist from playing politics with governance. The two phenomena are not unlike two parallel lines that have no meeting points. I’m saying this, because, when Imolites were suffering from the refuse dumps, most of the politicians in the opposition, rather than doing the needful or what was expected of them, they were very busy going from one media outfit to another to discredit the state government. Must we play politics with everything, let alone a matter concerning the people’s wellbeing? We must jettison retrogressive issues towards facing progressive ones squarely.

        Let’s continually count our teeth with our tongues to ascertain the actual number. Because if we fail to do so, I’m afraid, any of them (the teeth) might go off at any time without our knowledge. Of course, we needn’t be reminded of the implications. Think about it!

Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-

Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research

& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador 

               

Celebrating 2016 World Food Day

WORLD FOOD DAY: RESUSCITATING NIGERIA’S AGRIC SECTOR

       On Sunday, 16^th October, the world over is celebrating the 2016 edition of World Food Day. Due to the inevitable impact of food on mankind, the World Food Day (WFD) was established during the 20^th General Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) in November 1945. During the conference, all the Member States of FAO resolved that October 16 each year should be commemorated as World Food Day; the day was meant to coincide with the anniversary of the founding date of the organization - FAO.

        In the history of mankind, no one has ever boasted of living a healthy life without an adequate food on his/her table. This implies that a healthy living is not unconnected with consumption of required dietary. Food, which remains one of the three basic needs of man on earth, can only be acquired or guaranteed via thorough participation in agricultural practices. No doubt, agriculture is an integral part of human existence considering that it is the only means that can guarantee the three paramount needs of man, which are: food, clothing and shelter.

        Obviously, several countries in the world depend solely on agriculture as regards Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), and creation of employment opportunities. Such countries jealously safeguard it because they acknowledge that it is the most affordable and assessable source of revenue within the reach of man. This is a clear indication that agriculture can function as a revenue source as well as means of survival. Suffice it to say; sustenance of agriculture remains one of the prime desires of any rational and vision-oriented country in existence.

        Owing to its challenges, including lack of access to mechanize farming, undesirable topography, poor climatic condition, unavailability of land, poor soil texture, insufficient funds, et cetera, many prospective farmers in most developing nations, like Nigeria, have over the years lost interest in agriculture, thereby endangering the socio-economic status of the affected nations. It’s not anymore news that lack of participation in either subsistence or commercial farming among the populace of a certain country invariably leads to malnutrition and tremendous decline in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

       The most devastating aspect of apathy in agriculture is the one observed amongst the youth as a result of their eager and unending quest for white-collar jobs. To say the least, the ongoing lack of enthusiasm among the young ones, in the area of farming, contributed immensely to the current scarcity of food on the African continent. History indicates that between 2011 and 2013, a total of eight hundred and forty-two (842) million individuals, or about one in every eight persons in the world, were estimated to be suffering from chronic hunger. This signifies that the said set of people was not regularly getting enough food for themselves to carry out their active life activities.

        The theme of this year’s World Food Day is “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too.” One of the biggest issues related to climate change is food security. The world’s poorest – many of whom are farmers, fishers, and hunters – are being hit hardest by higher temperatures and an increasing frequency in weather-related disasters. At the same time, the global population is skyrocketing and is expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. To meet such a heavy demand, agriculture and food systems will need to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change and become more resilient, productive, and sustainable. This is the only way we can ensure the general well-being of ecosystems and rural settlements, as well as reduce emissions.

        Growing food in a sustainable way means adopting practices that produce more with less input, in the same area of land, and use natural resources wisely. It also means reducing food losses before the final product or retail stage through a number of initiatives, including better harvesting, storage, packaging, transport, infrastructure, market mechanisms, coupled with institutional and legal frameworks. FAO is using this period to call on countries to address food and agriculture in their climate action plans and invest meaningfully in rural development.    

        As the world over celebrates the 2016 annual World Food Day, I urge governments at all levels to wake up from slumber with the view to ensuring that the bane of the Nigeria’s agricultural institution is thoroughly addressed. This can be made possible by providing the needed support for any genuine prospective farmer, such as soft loan with zero interest rates, arable land, enabling environment, or what have you, as the case may be. Similarly, the various commercial banks ought to be conscientized not to hesitate in granting loans to any intending indigenous farmer.  

        Governments should equally subsidize the prices of farming machinery/equipment to enable every commercial farmer purchase them without much ado. In the same vein, the ongoing restriction of importation of goods and services into the country must be duly strengthened and intensified by the apt authorities to include the Customs Service, among others, toward increasing the level of demand on locally-made commodities.

        On their part, the farmers ought to, from time to time, validate the membership of all their members, and also encourage the upcoming ones to register, to enable the government or any concerned corporate body to easily assess them as well as ascertain the genuineness of anyone who claims to be a practising farmer. They should also sensitize their members on the need for specialization towards boosting production; farmers need to concentrate on a particular crop/livestock farming to enable them obtain a desirable outcome. After creating a sound foundation, any farmer can in the future consider practising mixed farming.

        The various governments should as well endeavour to own and manage various mechanized farms at their respective jurisdictions with a view to supplementing the privately owned ones. They mustn’t leave everything for the private sector, in order to ensure adequate price regulation on the goods and services. Such measure would also intensify the anticipated diversification and massive employment opportunities for the youth. In view of this, every agriculture ministry is expected to boast of staff that are qualified in various agricultural disciplines, rather than professionals from other areas. And, every staff must be prepared to go to the field.

        Above all, there’s a compelling need for Agricultural Science to be studied by every high school student as a core subject, and equally sit for it during their School Certificate Examinations. There’s also need for all the tertiary institutions in Nigeria to introduce Agric Science in their schools as a general course for every first year student; there would be need for a formidable legal backing towards ensuring the effectiveness of this measure.

        Additionally, governments, non-governmental organizations, among other stakeholders, should endeavour to continually grant bursary to the undergraduates studying Agric Science or any agric-related discipline towards encouraging prospective ones. The various civil society groups are required to solicit for this on behalf of the students. Let’s sacrifice now and enjoy forever. Think about it!

Comrade Fred Nwaozor

(TheMediaAmbassador)

-Researcher, Blogger, Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-

Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research

& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador