The Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency has partnered with the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency to use facial recognition and fingerprint technology for identifying crime suspects, drawing on the registration agency’s database of residents’ biometric data.
Under the arrangement, the safety agency will integrate biometric identification into its operations for intelligence gathering, forensic investigations, and crime prevention. The registration agency, known as LASRA, maintains a biometric database that captures the facial and fingerprint features of Lagos residents, which its general manager, Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, said was originally built to prevent duplicate registrations. She said the database aligns with the framework of the National Identity Management Commission and complements the national identity system, particularly for residents who do not yet have a National Identification Number.
The general manager of the safety agency, Ifalade Oyekan, said LASRA had donated facial recognition devices and rechargeable fingerprint scanners to support its work, and that the equipment would be used to identify suspects and offenders detained during routine operations. He said the technology would aid forensic investigations by matching fingerprints to facial identities, particularly for repeat offenders, and that images captured through the agency’s drone surveillance could be cross-checked against biometric records to speed up identification. The agency’s forensic unit will oversee the identification process.
The partnership channels a civil resident-registration system into policing, at a time when Nigeria is reworking the legal basis of its national identity apparatus. President Bola Tinubu recently signed the NIMC Act 2026, recasting the identity commission around digital trust. Nigerian authorities have also expanded facial recognition tied to the national identity number in other settings, having approved the VPASS system to verify air passengers against the NIN database.
Sources: Western Post
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
