Nigeria's Falcon Eye maritime surveillance system, credited with improving maritime security and supporting the country's efforts to combat piracy, could soon play a broader role in tackling insecurity on land. The technology, developed by Israeli defence company RTCom Defense, is being proposed for expansion into the Niger Delta's inland waterways and eventually into land-based security operations to strengthen intelligence gathering against banditry, kidnapping, oil theft, and other organised crimes.

Originally deployed along Nigeria's coastline in 2015, Falcon Eye was introduced to solve a major challenge facing the Nigerian Navy—limited visibility across the country's vast territorial waters. Before the system's deployment, naval operations often relied on routine patrols without accurate intelligence on suspicious activities. Falcon Eye changed that by integrating coastal radar, satellite imagery, cameras, Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), and over-the-horizon radar capable of detecting vessels hundreds of kilometres offshore.

The technology enables security agencies to monitor maritime activities in real time, allowing naval personnel to identify unusual vessel movements and deploy patrol assets more effectively instead of conducting broad search operations. According to RTCom Defense's Chief Operating Officer, Ido Shalev, this shift transformed naval operations from reactive patrols into intelligence-driven missions.

One of the system's most notable successes occurred in 2020 when Falcon Eye detected a hijacked Chinese vessel approaching Nigerian waters after its tracking equipment had been disabled by pirates. The intelligence enabled the Nigerian Navy to intercept the vessel and arrest the suspects before they could continue their operations. Since then, Nigeria has recorded significant progress in maritime security, culminating in its removal from the International Maritime Bureau's list of piracy-prone countries in 2022.

RTCom estimates that Falcon Eye has contributed to billions of dollars in economic savings through reduced piracy, lower shipping insurance premiums, and the disruption of oil theft and smuggling activities. However, the company notes that these estimates are internal projections and not independently verified by the Nigerian government.

Encouraged by the system's maritime success, RTCom is advocating for a similar intelligence-led approach to address security challenges in Nigeria's inland waterways and on land. Unlike the open sea, the Niger Delta's dense creeks and mangrove forests present a far more complex surveillance environment, requiring a larger network of sensors and monitoring points to effectively track illegal activities such as crude oil theft and illegal refining.

The proposal also extends to combating banditry and kidnapping, where security experts believe real-time situational awareness could improve the deployment of military and law enforcement resources. Rather than increasing the number of security assets alone, RTCom argues that better intelligence would enable authorities to deploy existing personnel and equipment more efficiently.

Despite the promise of such an expansion, significant challenges remain. Surveillance technology requires continuous maintenance, periodic hardware upgrades, and reliable funding to remain effective. In addition, security experts note that detecting threats is only one part of the solution; rapid response capabilities, institutional coordination, and political commitment are equally important to translating intelligence into successful security operations.

While there are currently no confirmed plans to implement the nationwide expansion, RTCom believes Nigeria's future security strategy could increasingly rely on integrated surveillance systems that provide commanders with a comprehensive, real-time view of activities across both maritime and land environments.