Who’s listening? The fight for safety

The room was dark except for the dim glow of a flickering streetlight outside. Sergeant Bala was halfway through his third cup of lukewarm tea when the phone in his pocket vibrated. It wasn’t the usual buzz of family or friends; this one carried weight, urgency. He pressed the phone to his ear. “It’s happening tonight in Mushin,” the voice whispered hurriedly. “Guns, plenty of them. They’re meeting by the old warehouse.”

Bala didn’t waste time. He grabbed his jacket, signalling to his team on the way out. But in the bustling chaos of Lagos, nothing moves faster than a secret. By the time the officers reached Mushin, the streets were empty, the warehouse doors swinging in the wind. Someone had tipped them off.

Somewhere not too far, a young man in a hooded sweatshirt leaned back in his chair at a cybercafé, headphones around his neck. He smirked at the messages on his screen — details of the raid forwarded to the gang hours before the police even left their station. He knew how to eavesdrop on calls, pick up bits of chatter from open lines. “Easy money,” he thought, shutting down the computer.

For Bala, it wasn’t just a bad night. It was a bitter reminder of a truth too familiar to law enforcement across Nigeria: unsecured communication can mean the difference between catching a criminal and being outsmarted by one.

In Lagos, everything moves at the speed of light. A street fight in Oshodi becomes a trending topic on social media in minutes. A whispered warning at dawn is a full-blown crisis by noon. But for officers like Bala, the tools they rely on — radios, phones, even messaging apps — are riddled with holes. Holes big enough for criminals to walk through.

Not long ago, Bala’s squad prepared for a high-stakes raid in Balogun Market. Their target: counterfeiters moving fake naira notes. The plan was airtight — or so they thought. But when they arrived, all they found were confused traders packing up their stalls. The counterfeiters had vanished hours before. Somewhere along the way, the plan had leaked, and the bad guys were long gone.

Nobody said anything as they packed up to leave. The frustration was thick, like the exhaust fumes of danfos weaving through Lagos traffic. Bala clenched his jaw, his mind racing. How could they fight a system where every word they spoke could be overheard?

Across Nigeria, the story is the same. Whether in Kano, Port Harcourt, or Ibadan, officers are being outplayed not by stronger enemies but by smarter ones. Criminals have learned how to listen, how to intercept, and how to turn the system’s weaknesses into their greatest strength.

It’s not just an officer’s frustration at stake; but lives, too. Imagine a family caught in a crossfire because a gang knew the police were coming. Imagine a child waking up to see their neighborhood torn apart because criminals were one step ahead. These aren’t stories from films. They’re real, everyday tragedies.

And yet, the solution feels within reach. What if every radio transmission, every phone call, every message was locked tight, protected by encryption? What if officers like Bala could speak freely, knowing their words were safe? It’s not about fancy gadgets or billion-naira budgets. It’s about taking simple, effective steps to protect the people risking their lives for others.

In the silence of the station after another failed mission, Bala wonders. How much longer will they fight with one hand tied behind their backs? How many more nights will end with unanswered questions? He looks at his phone, a device meant to connect but now a symbol of vulnerability.

The streets of Lagos will always be alive with energy, danger, and opportunity. But until secure communication becomes a priority, every message sent is a gamble. For Bala and his team, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Who’s listening?