ABUJA: Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has explained why it remains difficult for security agencies to track ransom calls made by bandits and other criminal networks.
Speaking on TV on Friday night, December 12, Tijani said criminal groups now deploy sophisticated communication technologies that allow them to mask their locations, making tracking extremely challenging despite government reforms in the telecom sector.
He addressed public concerns over why kidnappers still make calls with ease years after the introduction of the National Identification Number (NIN)–SIM linkage, aimed at curbing anonymous communications.
According to the minister, investigations revealed that criminals use special technologies to bounce calls across multiple telecom towers, rather than relying on conventional network routes.
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 said.
He explained that this tactic works best in remote areas with weak or no telecom coverage, adding that it informed the government’s decision to invest in more telecom towers in such locations.
Tijani also noted that Nigeria is currently the only West African country operating its own communications satellites, a capability the government is now upgrading to strengthen national security.
This is why we are upgrading our two satellites, so that if our towers are not working, our satellites will work, he added.
The minister said the ongoing investments are aimed at closing security gaps and improving surveillance across the country.
