How bandits use advanced technology to evade surveillance – Minister

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has said bandits operating across the country deploy advanced technology to make phone calls and evade security surveillance.

Tijani made the disclosure during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

According to the minister, tracking the communications of criminal groups is far more complex than commonly assumed, as bandits employ sophisticated methods to avoid detection by security agencies.

He explained that the criminals route their calls through multiple telecommunications towers, a tactic designed to confuse monitoring systems and frustrate efforts by 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.”

Tijani said the Federal Government is responding by strengthening the country’s digital and surveillance infrastructure, including plans to upgrade Nigeria’s satellites to enhance security monitoring.

“Because if our towers are not working, our satellites will work,” he said.

The minister stressed that the development highlights the urgent need for significant investment in telecommunications infrastructure across the country, noting Nigeria’s limited capacity when compared with global standards.

“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 added.

His comments come amid a renewed surge in insecurity in several parts of the country, particularly in the northern region.

In recent weeks, schoolchildren have been abducted by bandits in Niger and Kebbi states, while attacks on churches and communities have been reported in Kogi and Kwara states.

The rising cases of abductions and killings have prompted the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to announce a nationwide protest scheduled for December 17 to demand improved security and protection of lives.

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