Bandits, terrorists exploit gaps in our telecom network to coordinate attacks –Tijani

Nigeria’s minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said that bandits and terrorist groups are able to coordinate their activities by exploiting gaps in the country’s telecommunications infrastructure, particularly in poorly connected rural areas.

Tijani made this remarks while speaking on Friday on Channels Television’s Politics Today, adding that criminal groups use advanced techniques to route calls across multiple telecom towers, allowing them to communicate undetected in regions with weak network coverage.

“They weren’t using the normal towers; they bounced calls off multiple towers, which is why they favour areas that are largely unconnected,” the minister said.

When the minister was asked about concerns that unregistered or fraudulently registered SIM cards remain in circulation despite policies linking phone numbers to national identity and bank verification systems, he said such claims were not fully verified and involved technical complexities.

“Whether it’s fact or not, I do not know where you’re getting that from, and I do not know who has evidence that there are people with unregistered SIMs,” he said.

The minister disclosed that the federal government is investing in new telecom towers in underserved regions, upgrading Nigeria’s communication satellites and expanding fibre-optic infrastructure to improve coverage and close loopholes exploited by criminal networks.

“If our towers are not working, our satellites will work,” the minister said, adding that Nigeria is the only country in West Africa with communication satellites and is planning further upgrades to enhance their capabilities.

The comments come on the heels of growing concern over insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria, where banditry, kidnapping and insurgency have deepened even the use of the social media platforms. Nigerians and authorities have also raised alarm over reports of criminal groups flaunting ransom payments on social media platforms such as TikTok.

However, security agencies asserted that many attacks are coordinated across vast rural areas with limited connectivity, thwarting efforts to monitor communications and track suspects in those locations.