Security protection measures have been increased for people in Nigeria around the country’s elections.
In the build up to the election and during the vote itself at the end of February, the risk of violence and civil unrest was a threat and many people took to leaving the country.
But for those who stayed, security was increased.
G4S reported that one multinational with operations in Nigeria required 40% more security officers and increased patrols to 24 hours from 12-hours, in direct response to the election-related unrest.
The company also increased its in-country workforce by 26% in January compared with the previous year. The demand for G4S’s response services increased by 30% in the build up to the election – and the number of drivers and response officers rose by the same percentage.
Sid Odoi, G4S Nigeria’s Managing Director, said: “We have strengthened our capabilities due to the very real threat of violence, especially pre and post-election.
“Despite being Africa’s largest economy, we are seeing an increase in violent crime – however, our in-country security experts are constantly rising to the challenges and delivering top tier services for our customers.”
On March 1 Bola Tinubu was declared the winner of Nigeria’s closest presidential election since its return to democracy in 1999.
In the weeks leading up to the election, G4S provided Close Protection Officers, Secure Transportation Services and Tracking and Response capabilities.
Demand for Close Protection Officers (CPOs) increased as companies sought to greater protect their executives and employees as they travelled.
The vehicles they used were equipped with mobile communications, vehicle tracking, trauma kits and extinguishers – where the G4S control room shared live updates relating to incidents, road closures and traffic collisions
The geo-tracking device on customers’ cars allowed individuals to be tracked through an app installed on their smartphone and they could then be safely extracted if they found themselves facing a security threat, such as a protest or a crowd surrounding their building.
G4S staff create incident records remotely on site via their own data analytics app Risk360, which produces trend patterns and heat maps which allow for better planning.
Due to Risk360, one customer has seen 82 foiled thefts between January and June last year (2022) and eight arrests.
The trends feature showed that over the last 12 months, Thursdays and Fridays were days when thefts were most likely to occur – so G4S increased patrols during these evenings.
Sid added: “The use of data and analysis is helping us, and more importantly our customer, to make strategic decisions which are saving time and money. The benefits of Risk360 are staggering and we’re increasingly demonstrating this to our global customers here in Nigeria.
“We have a duty to inform and protect our customers to the best of our ability – which aligns with our company value to always put safety first. Ahead of the elections, we’ve been sending customers regular bulletins that capture potential security threats.
“We expect a lot of footfall traffic over the next few weeks as supporters and protesters travel. Therefore it’s really important that customers are aware of what is happening across the country, and the Daily Intelligence Bulletin will help them plan for their day and make their movements safe and without disruption.”
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