Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has provided detailed insights into why tracking bandits and other criminal networks in the country remains a significant challenge. According to Tijani, these criminal networks, which often engage in kidnappings and other illicit activities, employ highly sophisticated communication technologies that bypass conventional tracking methods, including standard SIM registration systems and mobile tower monitoring. This makes identifying and locating perpetrators more complex than previously understood.
The minister explained that the calls made to victims’ families by these criminals do not rely solely on normal mobile towers. Instead, they utilize advanced methods such as bouncing calls across multiple towers and leveraging technology that obscures the origin of the communication. This technical approach complicates assumptions that unregistered or fraudulently registered SIM cards are the main tool for criminal communication, emphasizing the need for more nuanced surveillance techniques.
Speaking on the intersection of digital regulation and national security, Tijani dismissed concerns that large numbers of unregistered SIMs continue to operate unchecked, despite the National Identification Number (NIN) linkage policy. He pointed out that telecom operators have conducted extensive nationwide clean-up operations to remove improperly registered SIM lines from the system, ensuring that the majority of active SIMs are properly registered and linked to verified identities.
Beyond conventional mobile networks
Tijani elaborated, “It’s more technical than that communication. There was a special kind of technology that they were using to call. They weren’t using the normal towers. They bounced calls off multiple towers when they leave,” highlighting how these advanced methods obscure the tracking of criminal activity and make it difficult for law enforcement and security agencies to pinpoint the origin of communications. This underscores that tracking criminals requires more than traditional monitoring of SIM registration or tower usage—it demands an understanding of the underlying technology being exploited.
Government response and satellite investment
The minister further explained that this reliance on sophisticated technology partly accounts for why bandits often operate in remote and hard-to-reach areas, where conventional network infrastructure is limited or non-existent. In such regions, standard mobile towers fail to provide consistent coverage, allowing criminals to exploit network blind spots to evade detection.
To address these vulnerabilities, President Bola Tinubu has approved increased investments in telecommunications infrastructure, particularly in remote areas where security gaps have been identified. These investments include constructing new mobile towers and upgrading existing ones to improve coverage and reduce the advantage that criminals gain by operating outside the reach of conventional networks.
Tijani also revealed that the Federal Government is actively upgrading Nigeria’s communication satellites. These upgrades aim to enhance national surveillance capabilities and provide reliable connectivity in areas where terrestrial towers may be absent or insufficient. Satellite coverage is expected to serve as a critical backup system, ensuring that law enforcement and security agencies can maintain communication monitoring even in regions with poor ground-based infrastructure.
The minister emphasised that effectively combating technologically driven crime requires a coordinated strategy that combines investment in digital infrastructure, advanced security intelligence, and innovative solutions. Reliance on SIM registration alone is insufficient; a multi-layered approach is essential to keep pace with evolving criminal methods and ensure national security.
Watch the video below…
“Band!ts use a special kind of technology to call v!ctim’s family” — Nigeria’s minister of comm. Innovation & digital economy, Bosun Tijani explains why it’s difficult to track band!ts and other crim!nal networks. pic.twitter.com/qne0gHwGJH
— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) December 13, 2025