The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has said bandits operating across Nigeria now deploy advanced technology to make phone calls and evade security surveillance.
Dr Tijani disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, monitored by our POINTOUT.
According to the minister, tracking the communication networks of criminal groups has become more complex, as bandits now use sophisticated methods to avoid detection by security agencies.
He explained that the criminals route their calls through multiple telecommunications towers, a strategy designed to confuse monitoring systems and make it difficult for security operatives to trace their locations.
“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.
“They are not using the normal towers; they bounce calls off multiple towers. That is why they enjoy living in areas that are unconnected.”
The minister noted that the Federal Government is responding by strengthening Nigeria’s digital and surveillance infrastructure, including plans to upgrade the country’s satellite systems to improve security monitoring.
“Because if our towers are not working, our satellites will work,” he added.
Dr Tijani also stressed the urgent need for major investment in telecommunications infrastructure, pointing out Nigeria’s limited capacity when compared to other countries.
“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,” the minister stated.
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