THE Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has revealed that bandits operating across the country are using advanced technology to make phone calls and evade security surveillance.
Tijani made the disclosure during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“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 were using to communicate,” Tijani said.
According to the minister, monitoring the communications of criminal groups is more complex than many people realise, as bandits use sophisticated techniques to evade detection by security agencies.
“They are not using the normal towers; they bounce calls off multiple towers. That is why they enjoy living in areas that are unconnected.”
He explained that the criminals route their calls through multiple telecommunications towers, a strategy intended to mislead monitoring systems and hinder security operatives from tracing their locations.
“Because if our towers are not working, our satellites will work. 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,” he said.
The minister stressed that the situation underscores the urgent need for substantial investment in telecommunications infrastructure nationwide, noting that Nigeria’s capacity remains limited when measured against global standards.
He added that the Federal Government is addressing the challenge by strengthening the nation’s digital and surveillance infrastructure, including plans to upgrade Nigeria’s satellites to improve security monitoring.
The ICIR reports that Nigeria has experienced a series of security challenges in recent weeks, from schoolchildren being abducted by bandits in Niger and Kebbi states, to attacks on churches and communities in Kogi and Kwara states, days after United States President Donald Trump added Nigeria to countries on watchlist for Christian genocide.
Since then, the US House Appropriations Committee has been leading a joint congressional briefing addressing allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.