The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr. Bosun Tijani, has said bandits use “a special kind of technology” to make calls and evade surveillance.
The minister, in a television interview over the weekend, explained the steps the federal government has taken to tackle insecurity through the telecommunications sector.
He said the monitoring of bandits’ calls for intelligence purposes is “more technical” than Nigerians assume.
The telecom sector has been under scrutiny since 2020, when the government introduced the mandatory National Identification Number (SIM) linkage to curb fraud, anonymous communication, and crimes facilitated through unregistered lines.
However, Tijani revealed that some criminal networks had shifted tactics, relying on technologies that allow them to route calls across multiple towers, a method that becomes particularly effective in remote or poorly connected locations.
Tijani, who acknowledged public worry over cases of kidnapping and ransom negotiations allegedly conducted through unregistered SIMs, said the criminals bounced calls off multiple towers to throw off security agents tracking their communication.
“There was an exercise that was conducted by the telcos to clean out all SIMs. The reason the President pushed us to invest in towers in those areas was the fact that we realised there was a special type of technology they (criminals) were using to call,” he explained.
To address these vulnerabilities, the minister outlined a connectivity strategy involving satellite upgrades and fibre expansion.
He noted that Nigeria remains the “only West African country” currently operating its own communications satellites, a capability the government is now strengthening.
“This is why we are upgrading our two satellites, so that if our towers are not working, our satellites will work,” he said.
“The reason why the president actually pushed us to invest in towers in those areas is that we realised that there was a special kind of technology that they [the bandits] were using to call,” Tijani said.
“They were not using the normal towers; they bounced calls off multiple towers. That is why they enjoy living in unconnected areas.”
Tijani said the federal government is upgrading the country’s satellites to improve security monitoring.
He added that the situation emphasised the need for “significant investment” in telecommunication infrastructure.
“Because if our towers are not working, our satellites will work,” he said.
“If you go to China, they have over four million 5G towers. The total number of towers we have in Nigeria is just about 40,000,” Tijani said.
Chuks Okocha
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