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Nigeria is blessed with uncountable men with vision and ideas. Be it in the public arena, politics,religion, education or security circle. However, in the Nigerian police, one cannot easily forget Muhammad Dikko Abubakar, popular as MD Abubakar, who was appointed the Inspector- General of police on January 25, 2012 by President Goodluck Jonathan( as he then was). Many did not know MD Abubakar’s potentials until he was appointed Commissioner of Police to head Lagos state Police Command. The strategies he introduced, unique security strategies helped to reduce the activities of armed robbers in and around Lagos metropolis. Great men are often become known when they assume office,that’s when they prove, through their actions and achievements that they are visionary leaders.Men with ideas are known to rule the world and institutions. Such men are either literally endowed or spiritual endowed. Many believe that ideas are the foundational seeds of creation, innovation, and change, often beginning as small, seemingly simple thoughts that can reshape reality when nurtured.
It is said that “Leadership is the art of inspiring others, translating vision into reality, and empowering teams to achieve collective goals”
These qualities are embedded in MD Abubakar who also expanded the scope of intelligence lead policing among his subordinates and disciples among whom was the late Solomon Arase who also rose to become an Inspector-General of police. IGP MD Abubakar believes in technology and intelligence driven policing hence in 2013 he unfolded a novel idea in the Nigeria security architecture when he introduce drone as means of gathering intelligence. I was then the Managing Editor of Police security newspaper known as Dawn newspaper ( still in circulation). IGP Abubakar had sent a security notice to all senior police officers in the police headquarters to assemble in front of the Force Headquarters Abuja. Surprisingly, when they had all assembled at the venue, a white man was introduced to them by IGP. The white man was holding a laptop and an object that looked like a toy helicopter(flying object ). Suddenly, the white man started operating the “toy” with the laptop he had with him and the object started rotating like a helicopter. The amazed officers would later discovered that the rotating “toy” was a drone! Curiously as we(I was invited by IGP Abubakar to witness the event) watched in amazement, the object lifted itself up from the ground high into the sky above the 7th floor of the force Headquarters and headed like a flying helicopter towards the southern parts of Abuja called Nyanya and Maraba.As we lifted our eyes into the sky, the object had faded away into the tin air. Minutes later, before we knew what was happening, we saw the object flying towards the force headquarters, manipulated by the white man with the aid of the laptop! Low and behold, the object was hovering above the Force headquarters as it returned from its “mission”
When it finally touched the ground, a card was extracted from it. The card contained a filming apparatus and in it were the objects and areas the drone had filmed while airborne.A great applause herald its arrival! And we all appauled IGP Abubakar for the innovation. Many years after, I still applaud former IGP Abubakar for his visionary leadership. That drone exercise became the first of its kind in Nigeria. It is a feat that has been fittingly ascribed to the Nigerian police .Of course, of all the security agencies in Nigeria, the Nigerian Police was the first to introduce the use of a drone as a means of gathering intelligence and information.Unfortunately, subsequent police leadership and the powers that be frustrated and killed the dream of drone driven policing and intelligence gathering. Ironically, today Boko Haram terrorists, ISWAP, Ansaru and other terrorist organisations operating in the Northern part of the country have intensified their attacks on the Nigeria military using drones. According to records, a drone is technically known as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). It is an aircraft that operates without a human pilot on board. These “flying robots” are controlled remotely by an operator on the ground or fly autonomously using onboard computers, GPS, and sensors.
Terrorist groups are increasingly utilizing commercially available drones for surveillance, propaganda, and weaponized attacks, with significant activity reported with terrorists in Africa(especially ISWAP in Nigeria) and the Middle East as of 2025-2026. These terror groups use small, low-cost quadcopters to drop explosives, conduct reconnaissance, and create “war from the skies” Painfully, this is the same drone technology that was introduced by IGP Abubakar and which was stopped by the federal government.Had the government aligned with IGP Abubakar in the innovative drone- policing idea when he introduced it into Nigeria security lexicon, perhaps the war on terrorism would have been a long closed chapter in Nigeria’s history. Tragically, Nigeria is a country that hardly appreciate nor appauled its visionary leaders else IGP MD Abubakar ought to be celebrated as a national hero.
Truth be told, the refusal by the authorities to embrace the drone technology in policing and crime fighting over a adecade after IGP Abubakar introduced it has caused the country untold damage in terms of effective policing. Ideas and visions are gifts from the Almighty God to humanity to solve human problems and improve human development.This is why the Americans used drones to monitor and checkmate the late Libyan strong man, Muhammad Gaddafi and the late Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein. Many countries have imbibed the use of drone in warfare. What a drone can achieve in a minute an Army Battalion will not achieve within the same time frame. Drone technology has changed the face of warfare worldwide. Interestingly Nigeria is aggressively adopting drone technology for security, agriculture, and logistics. Locally developed attack drones and intelligence software are bolstering military counter-terrorism efforts, alongside an increased use of surveillance systems for battlefield awareness. Civilian applications include medical supply delivery to remote areas and agricultural AI for crop monitoring.
The Nigerian military and its international partners have significantly ramped up the use of drones to combat terrorist organizations like Boko Haram and ISWAP. As of early 2026, the conflict had entered a “high-tech” phase where both the state and insurgents are actively deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance and combat. Had the government embraced IGP Abubakar’s idea earlier, Nigeria would have by now gone a step further by manufacturing drones and marketing them to other countries thereby expanding the revenue base of the country.
Security hints for members of the public
For all your complaints use the new department Complaint Response Unit (CRU). It is available 24/7 to receive and resolve complaints about police misconduct in all parts of Nigeria. All cases MUST have DATE, TIME and PLACE of occurrence.
Call: 09133333785, 09133333786 08057000001, 08057000002 SMS/WhatsApp:O8057000003 Twitter: @PoliceNG_CRU.
FPRO, Anthony Placid, Deputy Commissioner of Police
