Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has revealed that bandits are deploying sophisticated technologies to evade security surveillance and intelligence tracking.
Speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today with Seun Okinbaloye on Friday night, Tijani disclosed that these criminals deliberately operate in unconnected areas, using special techniques to bounce calls off multiple mobile towers to avoid being traced.
“The reason the President is pushing us to invest in more telecom towers, especially in underserved areas, is because we discovered bandits are not using regular infrastructure,” Tijani explained. “They bounce calls across multiple towers, making it difficult to pinpoint their location.”
He noted that the government is working to bolster surveillance capabilities by upgrading Nigeria’s satellite systems, especially in areas where terrestrial communication towers are either unavailable or ineffective.
“If our towers fail, our satellites must not. We are working to ensure that Nigeria’s space assets are enhanced to support our security efforts,” he said.
Tijani stressed that the situation highlights an urgent need for massive investment in telecom infrastructure across the country.
“In China, there are over four million 5G towers. Nigeria, by comparison, has just about 40,000 towers in total. That’s a huge gap we must close.”
His comments come amid rising insecurity, particularly in northern states, where incidents of school abductions and violent attacks have surged.
Recent attacks in Niger, Kebbi, Kogi, and Kwara states have left communities shaken and prompted the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to call for a nationwide protest on December 17.
The minister’s remarks shed light on the increasingly complex nature of Nigeria’s security challenges and the growing intersection between national security and technological infrastructure.
