Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has warned that bandits and criminal networks are increasingly using advanced communication technologies that make it difficult for security agencies to trace their activities, including ransom calls.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Tijani said criminal operations within the telecom space are “far more technical” than many Nigerians realise, despite the federal government’s efforts to link all SIMs to the National Identification Number and monitor communication networks.
He explained that kidnappers now employ tools that bounce calls across multiple telecom towers, masking their locations and exploiting areas with poor network coverage. “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 said.
To counter these tactics, Tijani confirmed plans to deploy 4,000 new telecom towers in rural and underserved communities, upgrade existing communication infrastructure, and strengthen Nigeria’s two domestic satellites to close security gaps. He noted that Nigeria remains the only West African nation operating its own communications satellites, which will supplement tower coverage where needed.
Tijani added that improving connectivity through fibre and new towers will not only aid security surveillance but also stimulate economic activity in remote areas. Satellite deployment, he said, remains the “third leg” of the broader connectivity plan and is expected to take longer than the ongoing tower and fibre projects.
The minister’s remarks follow previous state-level telecom shutdowns, including Zamfara’s 2021 blackout, which authorities said helped weaken bandit networks operating in forests.
