Bloggers Are In Trouble:$61M Spying Equipment Arrives In Abuja,Will Track Nigerians' Online Activities
Employees of Israeli defence electronics firm Elbit Systems have arrived in Abuja to install a comprehensive spying facility that will assist the Nigerian government in spying on citizens' online activities.
The installation will be completed despite negative public reaction and ongoing legislative probe of the project. Thus, the order of the National Assembly to suspend all actions on the contract pending the outcome of a planned investigation is being ignored. The officials of the Elbit firm were accused by the Presidency of not being discreet enough while handling the contract.
The firm was secretly awarded a $40million contract to make it possible for the Nigerian government to track citizens' Internet communications and get the data from their computers - under the pretence of national security and intelligence gathering.
Contract
According to the information available, the Elbit firm announced it won the contract in April 2013. In a global press release, the general manager Yehuda Vered disclosed that "Elbit Systems will supply its Wise Intelligence Technology (WiT) system to an unnamed country in Africa under a new $40 million contract … for Intelligence Analysis and Cyber Defense."
Competent sources say the "Big Brother" spying device is to be installed at the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency in Abuja.
It is also worth noting that about 20 Nigerian intelligence officers are currently training in Haifa, Israel – headquarters of Elbit Systems – and are expected to run the spying equipment after its installation. The first batch of the intelligence trainees are due back in the country next week, the sources say.
The firm estimates it will take two years to complete the project. In the end, Nigerian authorities will possess "a highly advanced end-to-end solution to support every stage of the intelligence process, including the collection of the data from multiple sources, databases and sensors, processing of the information, supporting intelligence personnel in the analysis and evaluation of the information and disseminating the intelligence to the intended recipient (…) that will be integrated with various data sources, including Elbit Systems' Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) solution and Elbit Systems' PC Surveillance Systems (PSS), an advance solution for covert intelligence gathering."
The development has raised a lot of concerns among the civil society and Nigerian lawmakers alike regarding their privacy, as well as the fact that Nigerian intelligence data is being collected by another country (Israel).
Money
Although Elbit Systems say the project will cost Nigeria $40 million, sources say this is not all the money released. It was indicated in the 2013 budget that the Wise Intelligence Network Harvest Analyzer System, Open Source Internet Monitoring System and Personal Internet Surveillance Systems would be procured at a price of N9.496 Billion (about $61.26 million).
The fate of the additional $21.26 million is currently unknown.
Sources indicate, however, that the contract was initially awarded to a security firm owned by a Nigerian politician and businessman [name withheld]. The businessman and another supporter of President Jonathan are the superintendents of the project, the sources said.
Source: Premium Times
The installation will be completed despite negative public reaction and ongoing legislative probe of the project. Thus, the order of the National Assembly to suspend all actions on the contract pending the outcome of a planned investigation is being ignored. The officials of the Elbit firm were accused by the Presidency of not being discreet enough while handling the contract.
The firm was secretly awarded a $40million contract to make it possible for the Nigerian government to track citizens' Internet communications and get the data from their computers - under the pretence of national security and intelligence gathering.
Contract
According to the information available, the Elbit firm announced it won the contract in April 2013. In a global press release, the general manager Yehuda Vered disclosed that "Elbit Systems will supply its Wise Intelligence Technology (WiT) system to an unnamed country in Africa under a new $40 million contract … for Intelligence Analysis and Cyber Defense."
Competent sources say the "Big Brother" spying device is to be installed at the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency in Abuja.
It is also worth noting that about 20 Nigerian intelligence officers are currently training in Haifa, Israel – headquarters of Elbit Systems – and are expected to run the spying equipment after its installation. The first batch of the intelligence trainees are due back in the country next week, the sources say.
The firm estimates it will take two years to complete the project. In the end, Nigerian authorities will possess "a highly advanced end-to-end solution to support every stage of the intelligence process, including the collection of the data from multiple sources, databases and sensors, processing of the information, supporting intelligence personnel in the analysis and evaluation of the information and disseminating the intelligence to the intended recipient (…) that will be integrated with various data sources, including Elbit Systems' Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) solution and Elbit Systems' PC Surveillance Systems (PSS), an advance solution for covert intelligence gathering."
The development has raised a lot of concerns among the civil society and Nigerian lawmakers alike regarding their privacy, as well as the fact that Nigerian intelligence data is being collected by another country (Israel).
Money
Although Elbit Systems say the project will cost Nigeria $40 million, sources say this is not all the money released. It was indicated in the 2013 budget that the Wise Intelligence Network Harvest Analyzer System, Open Source Internet Monitoring System and Personal Internet Surveillance Systems would be procured at a price of N9.496 Billion (about $61.26 million).
The fate of the additional $21.26 million is currently unknown.
Sources indicate, however, that the contract was initially awarded to a security firm owned by a Nigerian politician and businessman [name withheld]. The businessman and another supporter of President Jonathan are the superintendents of the project, the sources said.
Source: Premium Times
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