Public safety at risk as army, police emergency apps falter

Nigeria’s move towards technology-driven public safety has hit a snag, as key mobile applications launched by the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force are now either non-functional or inaccessible.

The Nigerian Army’s NA iReport app, once considered a vital tool for civilian-military communication, has quietly disappeared from the Google Play Store—six years after its launch. Meanwhile, the Police-VGS Quick Emergency Report and Response System introduced by the Nigeria Police in 2023 is currently plagued by major usability issues, rendering it largely ineffective.

Launched in October 2018 during the establishment of the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare Command, NA iReport was intended to allow citizens to report crimes, including terrorism and misconduct by army personnel, without revealing their identities.

The then Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd), described it as a milestone in the Army’s digital transformation and commitment to accountability.

“NA iReport was developed to allow anonymous reporting of crimes and infractions, including those committed by military personnel. It was supposed to strengthen civil-military relations and fast-track response times,” Buratai said during the launch.

Despite this vision, a recent search by a correspondent revealed that the app is no longer available on Google Play.

While it had previously reached over 10,000 downloads, it never became available to iPhone users through the Apple App Store.

The Police-VGS app appears to be following a similar path. Though still listed on the Google Play Store and reportedly downloaded over 10,000 times, users have heavily criticized its performance.

A major flaw pointed out by users is the absence of a registration feature, making it impossible for new users to sign up or report incidents.

A reporter who installed the 99MB app confirmed the complaint, noting that login fields for “Username” and “Password” exist—yet no option is provided to register a new account.

One user review summed up the frustration: “There’s no way to register. How do you expect anyone to log in without creating an account first? Please fix this.” The review was marked helpful by dozens of users.

Another frustrated reviewer wrote, “The app doesn’t work at all. It reflects the state of policing in Nigeria. Absolutely terrible!”

Efforts to obtain comments from the Police Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, were unsuccessful as of press time.

Responding to inquiries about the status of the NA iReport app, Nigerian Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Onyechi Anele said the military currently relies on a 24-hour emergency call centre and online monitoring tools.

“We have a fully functional 24/7 call line via 193, where citizens can report emergencies. Our official social media platforms are also managed around the clock by our OSINT unit, equipped with classified AI tools for real-time sentiment and network analysis,” she said.

Lt. Col. Anele added that the Army remains open to constructive suggestions that could improve its digital communication tools.

Despite these reassurances, the failure of both platforms raises concerns about the long-term viability of tech-based public safety solutions in the country, especially in an era where real-time digital reporting is becoming increasingly vital.