Here are 3 interesting features of N-Alert, Nigeria’s crime-fighting app

The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Interior, inaugurated the Nigeria Internal Security and Public Safety Alerts System (NISPSAS) N-Alerts smartphone app on Thursday, May 12, to combat crimes in the country.

Kania Maliki, the acting Director of Press for the Ministry of Interior, made the announcement in Abuja, where the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, launched the app.

The app exists to assist citizens in contacting security services from anywhere in the country for immediate assistance with crimes such as terrorism, robbery, kidnapping, extortion, and ethnic conflict, which continue to damage the country’s peace and harmony, with regional differences.

He noted that the good news was that the Federal Government was winning the war against the enemies of the country, hence the need for the app to further tackle the menace headlong.

All these efforts are geared towards addressing the security challenges in the country, with personnel and equipment spread thin.

Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior

The minister noted that so much harm could have been avoided and nullified if there was timely contact and mobilisation of security agencies to challenges as they happen, citing the need for an already provided platform where the public could hurriedly reach out to agencies charged with maintaining law and order.

He said, “One noticeable lacuna is information and timely alert of the security agencies to incidents of crimes, breach of security and natural disasters before they happen or while they are going on. In most cases, they would have been prevented or mitigated if the alert had come in time.

“The ministry therefore, developed an application, a technological innovation that worked with the smart mobile phone or any other devise with android or IOS capability, to send alerts to all security agencies in real-time.

“The initiative is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s policy of making the security of lives and property of Nigerians a priority.

“It is also part of the objective of leveraging on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in doing government business and operations.” 

3 features of the N-Alert/NISPSAS app

The NISPSAS app is available for download through the Google play store and the App store to smartphone users.

Aregbesola, who said that the application was free to use for Nigerians, further noted that, for now, it could only work on smart devices and encouraged all Nigerians to download it for use.

• On the Ministry Inter-Agency Situation Room, the App uses a combination of audio-visual and geographic location identification of the caller and scenes of occurrences (MISR)
• It also works on the four services’ Command and Control Centres, Dashboards, and Police Headquarters for cooperative inter-agency operations, including Immigration, Corrections, Federal Fire Service, and Civil Defense.
• The N-Alerts mobile app has been created to facilitate cooperative operations and monitoring of the services’ and Nigeria Police’s readiness.”

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In attendance was the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and the permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore.

Niyi Adebayo congratulated the Ministry of Interior for the inauguration of the app which he claimed came at the time where Nigerians needed it most.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed pledged the support of his ministry, the National Orientation Agency and other departments and agencies under his ministry in promoting and publicising the Application for Nigerians’ use. While Dr, Shuaib Belgore appreciated the efforts of the previous Minister of the Ministry, Lt.- Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau who initiated the plan and also was in attendance.

The minister said the slogan for the app is ‘see something, say N-Alert’.