The Federal Government has earmarked $623 million for investment in Intercept Technology and Surveillance as part of its current efforts to combat rising incidents of cybercrimes in the country.
This was disclosed by the Executive Director of Spaces for Change (S4C), a civil society organisation, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, who explained that government allocated approximately $40 million for intercept technologies and an estimated $583 million on public surveillance projects with some Chinese tech firms.
Ibezim-Ohaeri made the disclosures at the West Africa Civil Society Week with the theme: ‘Leveraging Technology for Civic Engagement and Social Change in West Africa’ held in Abuja.
Intercept technology and surveillance allow legally sanctioned official access to private communications, such as telephone calls or e-mail messages in a bid to enhance national security, prevent crime and aid criminal investigations.
With lawful interception, law enforcement authorities, in response to a warrant from a judge, can perform interception, simply by applying a ‘tap’ on the telephone line of the target, making it possible for security agencies in Nigeria to listen to terrorist and criminal cell phone calls and gather communications intelligence on their dark activities.
Speaking at the event organised by S4C, in collaboration with Civic Space Resource Hub, West Africa Civil Society Institute and the Ford Foundation, the civil activist explained that the expenditure prioritised security over essential public services like education and healthcare, thereby raising questions about the government’s commitment to human rights.
Ibezim-Ohaeri, who flawed the budgetary allocation to intercept technology and surveillance projects, said her organisation’s report emphasised the historical context of surveillance in Nigeria, linking colonial practices to modern state surveillance tactics.
She said: “Colonial authorities established a framework for surveillance that persists today, where security agencies continue to repress dissent and monitor civic actors. “Just as the U.S. expanded surveillance post-9/11, Nigeria mirrored this response after the 2011 UN building bombing.”
According to her, key findings from the report indicated that the military regime significantly intensified state surveillance, enacting laws that curtailed press freedom and facilitated the harassment of journalists and political activists.
The report outlined how civic actors and opposition politicians were often the primary targets of the surveillance initiatives.
According to civil activist, “evidence shows that state governors have acquired surveillance technologies to monitor political rivals, demonstrating the pervasive nature of these tactics”, warning that “the dual-use nature of these technologies significantly contributes to their unchecked proliferation, often leading to abuses by both state and non-state actors.”
