Government to Turn Police Stations into Digital Hubs

The Nigerian Government has announced plans to turn police stations in the country into digital hubs. This is part of Project BRIDGE, which aims to use technology to modernize policing in Nigeria.

On Tuesday, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani shared this news. This announcement came after he signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nigeria Police Trust Fund.

Mr Tijani said that the project will allow police stations to act as access points on the Project BRIDGE network across Nigeria.

Project BRIDGE aims to provide nationwide connectivity. This includes extending Nigeria’s national fibre backbone from about 30,000 kilometres to around 120,000 kilometres. The goal is to connect all 774 Local Government Areas.

The initiative will also benefit schools, health facilities, agricultural areas, rural communities, and commercial centres by providing high-speed internet. It will also create links with nearby countries like Benin, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad.

Mr Tijani believes this project will improve how the police serve the public and speed up the digital change in the Nigeria Police Force.

"Building on the recently signed memorandum of understanding with the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, we met with Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and Mohammed Sheidu, executive secretary of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, yesterday to explore opportunities for police stations to serve as Points of Presence on the Project BRIDGE network across the country," Mr Tijani said. He also mentioned that the meeting looked at how to use connectivity to modernize police work and improve service delivery.

During the engagement, they showcased a live demo of an AI-powered, voice-enabled tool for capturing local language statements and managing cases. This tool was developed by Awarri.

Mr Tijani explained that this platform is meant to make investigations faster and more accurate. It allows law enforcement to capture statements and manage cases in local languages using AI.

"I am encouraged that deployment will start in Abuja and Lagos in the coming weeks before expanding to other areas of the country," he said.

He added, "As we continue to build the digital infrastructure that powers Nigeria’s future, it is equally important that our public institutions are equipped to adopt and harness these technologies to deliver better outcomes for citizens."

Mr Tijani urged public institutions in Nigeria to embrace new digital technologies and infrastructure to enhance service delivery for the people.