The Federal Government has inaugurated Nigeria Internal Security and Public Safety Alerts System (N-Alerts) mobile app to combat crimes around the country.

Kania Maliki, spokesperson in the Ministry of Interior, announced this in a statement in Abuja.

Mr Maliki noted that Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, inaugurated the app at the ministry’s headquarters.

The ministry said the app, which works with smartphones, was developed to send alerts to all security agencies and provide quick response to security threats in real time..

“The initiative is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s policy of making the security of lives and property of Nigerians a priority,” the statement said.

“It is also part of the objective of leveraging Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in doing government business and operations.”

The minister said the application was free to use for Nigerians. He further noted that for now, it could only work on smart devices and encouraged all Nigerians to download it for use.

“The App utilises a combination of audio-visual and geospatial location identification of the caller and scenes of incidents on the Ministry Interagency Situation Room (MISR).

“It also works on the Command and Control Centres, Dashboards of the four services, that is, Immigration service, Correctional service, Federal Fire service and Civil Defence as well as Police Headquarters for joint inter-agency operations,” Mr Aregbesola was quoted as saying.

This, he said, was to serve as a tool to enable the public access real-time response to distress and emergencies in the areas of crime, fire, flood and medical ambulance services, among others.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, said the app came at a time when the country most needed it.

In his own remark, information minister Lai Mohammed, pledged the support of his ministry, the National Orientation Agency and other departments and agencies under his ministry in promoting and publicising the Application for Nigerians’ use.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore, thanked the former Minister of Interior, Lt.- Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, for initiating the project and also taking out time to attend its inauguration.

(NAN)