Using geospatial intelligence in Securing Nigeria

As kidnapping, human trafficking and other security threats continue to challenge Nigeria, experts are advocating greater use of geospatial intelligence to help security agencies prevent crimes and respond more effectively.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS), once largely associated with land surveying, urban planning and environmental management, are increasingly being deployed as strategic tools for security and crime prevention.

GIS is a computer-based system capable of collecting, storing, analysing and displaying information linked to specific locations on the earth’s surface.

Its growing security application was highlighted at a roundtable organised by the Geoinformation Society of Nigeria (GEOSON), Oyo State Chapter, to commemorate the 2026 United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

The forum examined how geospatial technology could support efforts to combat kidnapping, human trafficking and other crimes through better understanding of locations, movement patterns and vulnerable communities.

The discussions raised a fundamental question for Nigeria’s security architecture: What if authorities could identify where threats were likely to occur before lives were lost?

For geospatial professionals, part of the answer lies in transforming maps and location data into actionable intelligence.

From maps to intelligence

Modern GIS can combine geographical information with data generated through GPS, remote sensing, drones, spatial analysis and artificial intelligence.

When properly analysed, such information can reveal patterns that may not be immediately visible through conventional intelligence gathering.

Dr Ademola Adeyemi, former Head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Lead City University, said geospatial intelligence could help identify trafficking hotspots, vulnerable communities, recruitment locations and movement routes.

He said the technology could equally support border surveillance, rescue operations and rapid emergency response.

In practical terms, a map can therefore become more than a representation of physical space.

It can show where crimes occur, how criminal networks operate and where security interventions are likely to have the greatest impact.

Lessons from Oriire

The practical importance of geospatial intelligence was illustrated by the reported application of GIS technology during the Oriire kidnapping incident in Oyo State.

Information presented at the GEOSON forum indicated that the Oyo State Government leveraged GIS spatial technology as part of the intelligence used to locate the area where abducted pupils and teachers were held.

The development demonstrated how accurate location intelligence could contribute to rescue operations.

In kidnapping situations, identifying a general area is often insufficient.

Security personnel also need information about terrain, access routes, possible escape corridors, nearby settlements and other geographical features.

Such information can help narrow search areas, guide deployment and improve operational planning.

This becomes particularly important in rural locations where forests, difficult terrain and poorly monitored routes can provide hiding places for criminal groups.

The GEOSON report consequently recommended the use of GIS, remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicles, GPS, community surveys and spatial analysis to identify crime hotspots and movement corridors.

Predicting where crime may occur

Mr David Afolayan, Chairman of GEOSON, said the greatest value of geospatial intelligence could lie in its ability to help authorities act before crimes occur.

He said mapping previous kidnapping incidents and comparing them with forests, roads, schools, transport terminals, isolated settlements and security formations could reveal geographical patterns.

“If those incidents are then compared with forests, roads, schools, transport terminals, isolated settlements and security formations, high-risk areas may become easier to identify.

“Such information could help authorities determine where surveillance should be intensified, where security posts may be required and which communities need early-warning mechanisms,” Afolayan said.

The approach, experts noted, represents a shift from responding to individual incidents to studying the geographical patterns behind criminal activities.

Criminal networks, like legitimate organisations, depend on routes, connections and locations.

Kidnappers require routes for moving victims, while traffickers depend on recruitment points, transit corridors and destinations.

According to the experts, forests, border crossings, mining areas and poorly monitored corridors are among locations that may be exploited by criminal networks.

Mapping the criminal network

Mr Rasheed Adesoji, a surveyor, said kidnapping and human trafficking, though legally distinct, could overlap through shared routes, actors and vulnerable populations.

He identified porous borders, remote forests, difficult terrain, mining areas and poorly monitored corridors as areas that could be exploited by criminal groups.

Adesoji advocated mapping trafficking origins, destinations, transit corridors and vulnerable settlements.

“This means investigators can study not only individual incidents but the geography of the criminal network.

“If several incidents are connected to a particular road, transport terminal or border corridor, that location becomes significant.

“If victims repeatedly pass through particular communities, those communities may require closer investigation.

“If kidnappers repeatedly exploit particular routes, security agencies can focus surveillance and patrols on those corridors.

“The map begins to tell the story,” he said.

Such mapping, experts said, could help security agencies move from isolated investigations towards a broader understanding of how criminal networks operate across locations.

GIS and vulnerable communities

Mrs Eegunyemi Adepeju, Managing Director, Right Time Surveys and Engineering Ltd., drew attention to the socioeconomic dimensions of trafficking.

She identified children, women and girls, migrants, displaced persons, low-wage workers and people with limited education among groups facing heightened risks.

“Mapping these vulnerabilities could allow authorities to identify communities requiring targeted interventions before traffickers exploit them.

“This takes the use of GIS beyond policing. It makes it a tool for social protection and preventive development planning,” Adepeju said.

This perspective expands the role of geospatial technology beyond crime fighting.

By mapping vulnerable populations and socioeconomic conditions, authorities could identify communities requiring education, livelihood support, child protection and other preventive interventions.

Tackling recruitment fraud

Mr Victor Eluyera, a Full-Stack Geospatial Engineer with GIS Konsult Ltd., said fake employment offers and recruitment fraud were increasingly being used as gateways to human trafficking.

He identified upfront payment demands, unverifiable addresses, pressure to relocate, unclear job descriptions and unusually attractive offers as warning signs.

According to him, GIS could support address verification, scam-location mapping, geofenced alerts and geotagged reporting.

“This could give citizens and authorities another layer of protection. A suspicious address could be verified. Repeated complaints could be mapped.

“A cluster of fraudulent recruitment reports could alert authorities to a possible organised network,” he said.

Mapping repeated complaints could therefore help authorities identify locations associated with fraudulent recruitment and potentially expose wider trafficking networks.

The human intelligence factor

Despite the potential of technology, experts stressed that geospatial intelligence cannot operate independently of human intelligence.

Residents of vulnerable communities remain important sources of information about unusual movements, suspicious activities and emerging threats.

GEOSON consequently advocated a secure geospatial platform through which authorised government agencies could share appropriate information and develop a common operational picture.

The objective, the association noted, should not be unrestricted access to sensitive information but secure, structured and purposeful intelligence sharing.

The forum called for systematic mapping of trafficking hotspots, recruitment locations, border routes, transport terminals and vulnerable communities.

It also advocated GIS-based reporting, early-warning and intelligence platforms, as well as increased investment in education, livelihoods, child protection, women’s economic empowerment and survivor support.

Beyond reaction to prevention

The recommendations point to a broader understanding of national security.

Security is not only about deploying personnel after criminals have struck. It is also about understanding the geographical conditions that enable crime to flourish.

Where are the vulnerabilities?

Where are the movement routes?

Where are the gaps in surveillance?

Where are criminal groups most likely to operate?

And where can intervention produce the greatest impact?

GIS cannot arrest a kidnapper or prosecute a trafficker. Neither can it replace human intelligence, professional investigators or trained security personnel.

But it can provide the geographical context needed to make those efforts more targeted.

The Oriire experience and discussions at the GEOSON roundtable suggest that geospatial intelligence could play a growing role in Nigeria’s security architecture.

Nigeria can continue to respond to security incidents after they occur, or increasingly invest in systems capable of identifying patterns, mapping vulnerabilities and providing early warnings.

Achieving the latter would require sustained investment in technology, skilled personnel, data infrastructure, inter-agency cooperation and community participation.

It would also require a change in mindset.

For GEOSON, geospatial information should no longer be viewed merely as a resource for surveyors, planners and environmental professionals.

It should increasingly be treated as a strategic security asset.

For victims of kidnapping and trafficking, knowing where to search can make the difference between being lost and being found.

Ultimately, experts believe the future of security will depend not only on possessing data but also on the ability to map, analyse and interpret it.

The transformation of location data into actionable intelligence could help Nigeria move from blind searches to intelligence-driven operations and from crisis response to proactive prevention.