Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has revealed that bandits and terrorist groups operating across the country employ sophisticated call-hopping communication technology that makes their activities difficult to track.
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Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Friday, December 12, 2025, Tijani explained that the criminals route phone calls across multiple cell towers, a tactic that causes signals to disappear once they move locations particularly in remote or poorly connected areas.
“There was a special kind of technology they were using to make calls. They weren’t using normal towers; they bounced calls off multiple towers,” the minister said.
According to him, the strategy explains why bandits prefer operating from locations with limited or no telecommunications coverage, where security agencies face challenges in tracing communications linked to kidnappings and attacks.
Tijani said the discovery informed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to massively expand telecom infrastructure nationwide, especially in rural and underserved communities exploited by criminal networks.
He disclosed that the Federal Government plans to deploy about 4,000 new telecom towers across rural areas in collaboration with Huawei, a project approved by the Federal Executive Council last week.
“It is why we are investing in fibre and why next year this project will start. We are doing it with Huawei 4,000 towers in rural areas,” he said, adding that the initiative would reduce network blackspots, boost economic activities, and strengthen security surveillance.
The minister also revealed that Nigeria’s communication satellites are being upgraded to serve as a backup where terrestrial towers fail.
“If our towers are not working, our satellites will work. Nigeria is the only country in West Africa with communication satellites, and we are bringing in new ones to upgrade their capabilities,” he stated.
Tijani described satellite deployment as the “third leg” of the government’s connectivity strategy, noting that while it would take longer to complete, fibre expansion and tower deployment were already well underway.
Addressing concerns about unregistered SIM cards being used for kidnappings and ransom negotiations, the minister said the issue was more technical than widely assumed. He noted that telecom operators had already carried out a major SIM-cleanup exercise following the mandatory National Identification Number (NIN)–SIM linkage policy introduced in 2020.
“There was an exercise conducted by the telcos to clean out all SIMs,” he said, explaining that criminals have since adapted by adopting advanced call-routing technologies rather than relying on anonymous SIM cards.
He dismissed claims that telecom operators or regulators were negligent, insisting that the government’s ongoing reforms were aimed at closing security loopholes while improving digital inclusion.
Tijani’s comments come against the backdrop of past security-driven telecom shutdowns, including the 2021 suspension of services in Zamfara State, which authorities said helped military operations against bandits. Telecommunications were later restored in Gusau, the state capital, following reported security improvements to ease economic and social hardship.
The minister maintained that the current strategy prioritises connectivity rather than shutdowns, stressing that expanded coverage, satellite support, and fibre infrastructure would make it harder for criminals to hide while improving services for law-abiding Nigerians.
According to him, the combined efforts reflect the government’s resolve to leverage technology in tackling insecurity, boosting digital inclusion, and strengthening national security amid persistent banditry challenges, particularly in northern Nigeria.
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