Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has disclosed that bandits use ‘special technology’ to make phone calls while avoiding security monitoring.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking during an interview with Seun Okinbaloye on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Friday night, Tijani explained that tracking the communication of criminal groups is far more complex than many Nigerians believe.
According to him, the bandits do not rely on regular communication systems. Instead, they route their calls through several towers, making it difficult for security agencies to trace them.
Tijani said, “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 [the bandits] were using to call.”
“They were not using the normal towers; they bounce calls off multiple towers. That is why they enjoy living in areas that [are] unconnected.”
The minister added that federal government is upgrading Nigeria’s satellites to strengthen security surveillance, especially in places where communication towers are weak.
He added, “Because if our towers are not working, our satellites will work.”
Tijani stressed that the situation shows the urgent need for heavy investment in telecom infrastructure, noting the wide gap between Nigeria and countries with stronger networks.
He said, “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.”
