Dear Sir/Madam, 

I write this open letter with respect for the important work being carried out by the Kano State Police Command and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in protecting our communities, combating crime and maintaining public safety. 

As someone who works with communities across Kano and follows security developments closely, I have observed a pattern in the social-media communication of some security operations that I believe deserves a second look. In particular, I refer to the frequent publication of clear photographs and videos of dangerous weapons and sharp implements recovered from suspected criminals during operations. 

I understand the reason behind such publicity. Security agencies have a responsibility to inform the public about their activities, reassure citizens that operations are being conducted and demonstrate that criminals are being confronted. Publicising successful arrests and recoveries can also serve as a deterrent. 

My concern, however, is not about whether these achievements should be communicated. It is about how much of the recovered items needs to be shown to the public. 

In several instances, photographs and videos published online clearly display different types, shapes and designs of knives, locally fabricated weapons, daggers, cutlasses and other dangerous implements allegedly recovered from suspects during operations. Sometimes the objects are presented in close-up images or videos where their individual features can easily be examined. 

This raises a question that I believe our security communication strategy should consider: Could some of these publications unintentionally provide ideas or visual references to individuals who may have criminal intentions? 

The concern becomes even more important as we approach another election period. Political activities are already increasing, and in some communities rival groups of young people and political actors can become increasingly confrontational. At such a time, our security agencies should be particularly conscious of anything that could inadvertently contribute to the spread of ideas, designs or visual references for dangerous implements. 

I am not suggesting that security agencies should hide recovered weapons or stop informing the public about successful operations. Far from it. The public deserves to know that dangerous individuals are being arrested and dangerous materials are being taken off our streets. 

But there is a distinction between publicising a security achievement and publicly displaying every detail of the evidence recovered during that achievement. 

The actual photographs and detailed documentation can remain available for investigative, evidentiary and judicial purposes. Not everything that must be documented for law enforcement necessarily has to be published for public consumption. 

The Police and NDLEA can report that dangerous weapons were recovered without necessarily providing high-resolution photographs of every individual item. Where images are necessary, sensitive or unnecessarily detailed features could be blurred or the presentation adjusted so that the public receives the warning without receiving what could become a visual catalogue of criminal implements. 

Perhaps security agencies could consider a simple principle when preparing such posts: 

“What does the public need to know, and what does the public not need to see?” 

That question becomes particularly important during politically sensitive periods. 

We have a responsibility to prevent our young people from becoming tools in political violence. We must therefore think beyond the immediate success of an operation and consider the possible secondary effects of how that success is communicated. 

Let us continue telling Kano that our security agencies are working. 

Let us continue celebrating successful operations. 

Let us continue warning criminals and reassuring law-abiding citizens. 

But where possible, let us do so without inadvertently teaching tomorrow's criminal something that today's operation has already taken off the streets. 

This letter is not written as a criticism of the men and women working tirelessly within our security agencies. It is a constructive observation from a stakeholder who believes that public confidence and effective security communication should work hand in hand. 

The fight against crime belongs to all of us. And sometimes strengthening that fight requires us to examine not only what we do, but also how we communicate what we do. 

Yours in Nation Building, 

Nworisa Michael

Coordinator, Inter-Tribe Community Support Forum (ICSF), Kano State