The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has outlined the Federal Government’s sophisticated strategy to combat insecurity and kidnapping across the country by tackling vulnerabilities within the telecommunications space.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Tijani acknowledged public concern over ransom negotiations and crimes allegedly conducted via unregistered SIMs, stating that the problem is “far more technical” than widely understood.
The Minister revealed that while the mandatory National Identification Number (NIN)-SIM linkage was an initial step, criminal networks have since adopted new tactics, moving away from simple unregistered lines.
He explained that criminals now rely on technologies that allow them to bypass standard towers, routing calls across multiple towers, a tactic that is most effective in remote and poorly connected regions.
“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 explained.
He noted that the current administration realized this deficiency, which is why President Tinubu pushed for investment in towers in those insecure areas.
To neutralize these network blackspots and enhance security surveillance, the Minister announced a multi-pronged connectivity strategy.
He said Nigeria remains the “only West African country” operating its own communications satellites, a capability the government is now strengthening.
“This is why we are upgrading our two satellites, so that if our towers are not working, our satellites will work,” he said.
According to him, the government is investing heavily in fibre optic cable expansion.
Tijjani disclosed that the Federal Executive Council recently approved a collaborative project with Huawei to deploy 4,000 new telecom towers across underserved rural communities.
He confirmed that this project, set to start next year, is expected to “significantly improve rural connectivity, stimulate commerce and enhance security surveillance.”
The Minister noted, however, that the satellite deployment, while critical, remains “the third leg” of the broader operation and will take longer to go live than the tower and fibre projects, which are “well in progress.”
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