A former Chief of Defence Staff, retired Gen. Lucky Irabor, on Thursday emphasised the need for Nigeria to urgently shift from a largely reactive security architecture to one driven by data, prediction and technology.
Irabor spoke as guest lecturer at the 2026 Annual Lecture of the Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan College of Arts and Social Sciences, Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, highlighting urgent security reforms.
The former defence chief warned that Nigeria risks falling behind rapidly evolving threats if it fails to embrace artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies shaping modern security operations and global defence strategies.
Delivering a broad analysis of worsening insecurity, he described terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and cybercrime as threats that have “reshaped daily life and weakened state legitimacy” across several parts of the country.
Drawing from military experience, Irabor noted that while conventional operations have recorded gains, they remain insufficient against increasingly adaptive non-state actors exploiting digital tools for coordination, recruitment and financing activities nationwide.
“Artificial intelligence is no longer optional,” he said, adding that it has become a decisive factor in modern warfare, intelligence gathering and national security management across technologically advanced countries.
He pointed to global practices, including predictive analytics and autonomous surveillance systems, as evidence that security operations are shifting toward real-time data processing and anticipatory response models for effective threat management.
Irabor argued that Nigeria must adopt similar tools to improve intelligence accuracy, enhance situational awareness and enable faster decision-making in tackling complex and evolving security challenges.
“AI enables systems to analyse vast volumes of data, detect patterns and forecast threats at a scale impossible for human operators alone,” he noted, while emphasising its relevance in counter-terrorism and border security.
He, however, cautioned that technology alone cannot resolve the crisis, emphasising the need for institutional reforms, ethical safeguards and human-centred policy frameworks to guide the responsible deployment of artificial intelligence systems.
“How well we integrate AI with human insight, ethical considerations and governance structures will determine its effectiveness. Without this balance, the risks of misuse and rights violations become real,” he said.
Irabor also highlighted structural gaps hindering readiness, including limited infrastructure, inadequate technical capacity and weak policy coordination, warning that failure to address them could widen Nigeria’s technological gap with advanced nations.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, described the lecture theme, “Combating Insecurity in Nigeria: Artificial Intelligence and the Global Future,” as a national call to action for urgent transformation.
“For too long, our national security conversation has been reactive, responding to attacks and counting losses.
“The future of Nigeria’s security will be written in code and data,” Ezemonye said.
He credited the university’s Chancellor, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, for supporting research-driven dialogue, noting that universities must serve as fortresses of solutions rather than centres of abstract learning in addressing national challenges.
