FG mulls technology-driven toll gates to tackle highway kidnappings, banditry – Musa

The federal government says it is considering the reintroduction of toll gates equipped with modern surveillance technology to tackle kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities on Nigerian highways, Minister of Defence Christopher Musa has said.

Musa disclosed this at an event organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and convened by Ismaeel Ahmed, Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PiCNG & EV).

The event, titled “Promise to Proof: The Renewed Hope Conversation”, focused on the performance of the President Bola Tinubu administration and its policy interventions.

The minister said the proposed toll gates would serve not only as revenue collection points but also as security checkpoints where technology would enable authorities to identify and track vehicles without requiring motorists to stop for manual payments.

Responding to concerns about insecurity on major highways and suggestions that motorists could contribute to security funding through toll charges, Musa said the country might have made a mistake by dismantling the previous toll gate system.

He, however, stressed that any new arrangement must be technology-driven, with systems capable of recognising vehicle registration numbers and processing payments electronically.

Musa also advocated a stronger national identification system incorporating personal identification numbers, facial recognition and fingerprint technology to help security agencies identify individuals and track criminal networks.

On the military’s prolonged involvement in internal security operations, the minister acknowledged that sustained deployments across the country had stretched the armed forces beyond their traditional responsibilities.