Security analyst Kabiru Adamu has made it known that lack of modern policing technologies such as body-worn cameras stems from structural decay within the security sector, the Police Force especially.
Speaking on Channels Television, Kabiru Adamu stresses that although President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda includes reforms aimed at introducing modern technology to the police, the challenges of poor salaries, weak welfare structures, and financial leakages threaten the success of such initiatives.
“The challenge is that there are leakages within the security spectrum that unfortunately make it almost impossible for the funding streams that would allow technology to be introduced into the system,” he said.
He stressed that body cameras should not be viewed as standalone gadget but as part of a larger ecosystem that requires strong institutional support, else the methodology and technology will suffer, “It’s not just a bodycam, it’s a structure,” Adamu explained, pointing out that without a reliable framework, accountability systems like cameras will fail.
He further made mention of the recent protest by police retirees which took place in Abuja on the 20th of August, 2025, describing it as a sign of a deeper crisis confronting the Nigerian Police Force.
He also talked about poor salaries, terrible living conditions, and inadequate support for both serving officers and retirees as obstacles that might reduce the effectiveness of any technological investment.
Kabiru Adamu commended the Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, for his efforts in driving reforms, Adamu said the decay within the system leaves him with a difficult choice. “The IGP is trying, but there’s much decay in the system, and he has to choose between working on the basic issues or starting to address the issues of modernizing the police,” he observed.
According to him, the introduction of body cameras and similar technologies will only succeed if government first addresses these fundamental challenges. “Technology must go hand in hand with welfare, transparency, and accountability,” he emphasized.
Adamu also said that the government has to fix leakages, prioritize police welfare, and establish a strong accountability structure before deploying advanced technology, stating that without doing these, the much-needed reforms would collapse under systemic weaknesses.
