In a scathing response to former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, renowned author and activist Reno Omokri questioned the effectiveness of the National Identification Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) linkage in combating terrorism and kidnappings.
Also read: ‘Barest minimum’ Isa Pantami insists NIN reduced kidnapping, banditry
Recall that Pantami accused the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies of refusing to use the NIN-SIM policy to fight insecurity in the country.
Omokri challenged Pantami to provide evidence of successful arrests, trials, convictions, and imprisonments of terrorists and kidnappers using the NIN-SIM linkage during their tenure.
Omokri dismissed Pantami’s recent accusations against security officials, asserting that Pantami and former President Muhammadu Buhari failed to utilize the NIN-SIM linkage effectively. He argued that not a single terrorist had been apprehended through this process.
The activist highlighted the security challenges faced by Nigerians, particularly the Abuja-Kaduna train incidents and the bombing of the train under the Buhari and Pantami administration. He questioned the lack of successful culprits’ apprehension through the NIN-SIM linkage in these cases.
Drawing attention to the insecurity on the Kaduna-Abuja route, Omokri questioned whether Nigerians felt safe traveling without fear during the Buhari and Pantami era.
He pointed out that even the Kaduna Airport faced threats from terrorists, with Governor Nasir El-Rufai admitting to paying them off at one point.
Omokri criticized the previous administration’s response, accusing them of celebrating El-Rufai rather than addressing the underlying issues.
“Rather than accuse our patriotic, loyal and hardworking security officials of undermining the NIN-SIM linkage to track and catch terrorists and kidnappers, Isa Pantami should tell us how many terrorists and kidnappers he and Buhari used the NIN-SIM linkage to arrest, try, convict and imprison, Not one. Not even one single terrorist. Then, after failing in that regard, Pantami is now blaming our security agents.
“Were Nigerians able to drive from Kaduna to Abuja without writing their will under Buhari and Pantami? The Abuja-Kaduna train was bombed and bullet-ridden under Buhari and Pantami. How many of the culprits did they apprehend using the NIN-SIM linkage? Even Kaduna Airport was at one time overwhelmed by terrorists. Nasir El-Rufai, the then Governor of Kaduna, admitted to paying terrorists and bandits. What did Buhari and Pantami do? Their response was to celebrate El-Rufai.
“Not all of us have short memories,” Reno wrote.
Bandits invaded Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), last Tuesday night, and abducted a man and his six daughters.
They had released the father and asked him to raise N60 million for his daughters freedom.
The criminals had given an ultimatum of Friday for the ransom to be paid, but the family raised N30 million, which they rejected and killed Nabeeha, the eldest child.
After killing Nabeeha, the bandits raised the ransom to N100 million, threatening to kill the other siblings if the money was not paid.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
