The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has revealed that bandits and terrorists operating in Nigeria rely on sophisticated technology to protect their communications from security agencies.
Tijani disclosed that criminal groups use call-hopping technology, which allows their phone calls to bounce across multiple cell towers, making them difficult to track.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, the minister explained that the criminals deliberately operate from areas with little or no telecommunications coverage to further evade detection.
“There was a special kind of technology they were using to make calls. They weren’t using normal towers. They bounced calls off multiple towers. That is why they enjoy staying in areas that are not connected at all,” he said.
According to Tijani, this method ensures that their communication signals disappear once they move from one location to another, enabling them to launch attacks from unserved or poorly connected areas.
He also revealed that Nigeria is upgrading its communication satellites to serve as a backup in situations where ground-based telecom infrastructure is unavailable or disrupted.
“If our towers are not working, our satellites will work. Nigeria is the only country in West Africa with communication satellites, and we are bringing in new ones to upgrade their capabilities,” the minister added.
This comes amid a spike in insecurity in the last few months across Nigeria. Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed recently declared an emergency on security to upturn the trend. The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, said Tinubu’s government has not delivered results in tackling insecurity.
