Nigerian bandits and criminal networks have adopted sophisticated communication technologies that enable them to evade security agencies and make it extremely difficult to trace their ransom calls, according to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels TV on Friday night, December 12, Tijani revealed that criminal operations within the telecommunications space have become “far more technical” than most Nigerians understand, despite government efforts to strengthen identification and monitoring systems.
The minister was responding to concerns about how kidnappers continue to negotiate ransoms using phone lines even after the mandatory National Identification Number-SIM linkage policy was implemented years ago to eliminate anonymous communication and combat criminal activity.
Tijani explained that criminals have moved beyond conventional methods and now employ technology that allows them to disguise their locations by routing calls through multiple telecommunications towers. “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 said.
He further disclosed that these criminal groups deliberately avoid using standard telecommunications infrastructure, instead relying on techniques that exploit gaps in 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,” Tijani added, noting that the strategy proves particularly effective in remote regions with limited connectivity.
The minister emphasized that Nigeria is the only West African country currently operating its own communications satellites, a strategic advantage the government is working to enhance in order to address security vulnerabilities.
To counter the evolving tactics of criminal networks, Tijani said the government is upgrading its satellite capabilities to ensure continuous surveillance and tracking even in areas where ground-based telecommunications infrastructure is inadequate or compromised. “This is why we are upgrading our two satellites, so that if our towers are not working, our satellites will work,” he stated.
