Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, explained on Friday why security forces struggle to track bandits using technology. Criminals often rely on foreign internet services like Starlink, which operate beyond Nigeria’s regulatory reach. This setup shields them from detection through local databases and IP addresses.
Bwala highlighted that Nigerian agencies can trace locals via registered phone numbers and internet providers within the country. “There is a regulatory body in Nigeria that has the database of Nigerians and their phone numbers,” he said. “There is also a body that deals with internet service provision, where if you are using an internet service covered within the sphere of Nigeria, they can trace through the IP address.”
Yet bandits and terrorists turn to unregistered tools for cover. They use Starlink, based in space and not licensed here, or cellular signals from neighbouring countries. “If you are using Starlink, we cannot trace it because Starlink is not registered in Nigeria; it is in space,” Bwala noted. “That is the problem they have in Ukraine and Russia. These terrorists most of the time are using cellular services from neighbouring countries and not from Nigeria, so it becomes tricky.”
These evasive tactics fuel a rise in attacks across the northwest and northeast. Bandits raid villages, snatch schoolchildren, and ambush highways, leaving communities gripped by fear and shattered economies. In May, reports surfaced of jihadists posting propaganda on TikTok, flaunting weapons, cash, and hideouts to millions—videos that spread threats, boast ransoms, and lure recruits. Such shadows of violence steal peace from families, turning homes into fortresses and roads into traps.
3 comments