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The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has revealed that bandits and other criminal networks are now using sophisticated communication technologies that make it difficult for security agencies to track their activities, including ransom negotiations.
Speaking on Channels Television on Friday night, December 12, Tijani said criminal operations within Nigeria’s telecom space are “far more technical” than many Nigerians realise, despite the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen identification and monitoring systems.
He addressed concerns over how kidnappers continue to negotiate ransoms using unregistered lines, years after the introduction of the mandatory National Identification Number (NIN)–SIM linkage aimed at curbing anonymous communication and criminal activities.
According to the minister, telecom operators previously carried out a nationwide SIM clean-up exercise, but criminal gangs have since adapted.
“There was an exercise 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 were using to make calls,” Tijani said.
He explained that criminals now mask their locations by routing calls across multiple telecom towers, making tracking extremely difficult.
“They were not using the normal towers; they bounce calls off multiple towers. That’s why they enjoy living in areas that are unconnected,” he added, noting that the tactic is particularly effective in remote areas with poor network coverage.
Tijani also disclosed that Nigeria is currently the only West African country operating its own communications satellites, a capability the government is working to strengthen to close existing security gaps.
“This is why we are upgrading our two satellites, so that if our towers are not working, our satellites will work,” he said.
