Nigeria’s security chiefs have resolved to use the National Identification Number (NIN) and the Bank Verification Number (BVN) for identifying and apprehending criminals.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, disclosed this on Tuesday.

The security chiefs appeared before the Senate, on Tuesday, in the company of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Olawale Edun, and the Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Geidam, were also part of the meeting.

The security meeting was held behind closed doors and lasted for about 9 hours.

The Senate’s spokesperson who briefed journalists shortly after the closed-door meeting said part of the resolutions at the meeting was that criminals will be traced with the identification numbers system.

“We spoke about how to apprehend criminals. We spoke about standardisation and certification of citizens identity through VIAM , BVN, NIN and others so that we can put all the evidences together.

“It means that at a strike of a finger , you can get the identity of a citizen so that no citizen will bear three or four names. Whenever a crime is committed by any citizen , we will not be able to apprehend him or her. We got that assurance and that one is even ongoing,” he said.

The resolution means that all the security agencies will have access to the database of all Nigerians and cooperate among themselves. All Nigerians were mandated to register for NIN while all bank account holders have the BVN.

Inter-agency rivalry and the lack of synergy between security agencies had been identified as some of the challenges of Nigeria’s security architecture.

Insecurity has worsened in many parts of Nigeria with daily reports of killings and kidnappings. This necessitated the meeting the security chiefs had with the Senate.

Mr Adaramodu said that the security chiefs have also pledged to protect all borders.

He said the security heads assured that more officers will be deployed to the border areas to strengthen the border patrol.

“Then, we also got the assurances of our border patrol. Today the borders must be manned and manned seriously and that we need more men to man the border. We got that assurance.”

Mr Adaramodu also mentioned that during the meeting, the Minister of Finance assured that adequate funds will be disbursed to the security agencies for the purchase of security gadgets to fight criminal activities across the country.

“We got the assurances from the Minister of Finance that funds will be released expeditiously for the purchase of those gadgets that are going to assist our service chiefs and our security men to perform their duties very effectively. We got that pledge.”

He assured of immediate prosecution and trial of suspected criminals.

“We got the pledge. We even have the intention of bringing the minister of justice. We want to ensure that whenever a suspect is apprehended, then the span of justice is expeditiously attended to so that criminals will not have the feeling even when they apprehend them that it can take a whole life before they try them. So that judgement can be gotten , it has to be expedited.

“With what we have today, we believe that Nigerians will have a sigh of relief,” Mr Adaramodu said.

END.