Communications minister Bosun Tijani says bandits are using more sophisticated communication tools to outsmart Nigeria’s security intelligence.

Mr Tijani, who featured in an interview on Channels TV on Friday, stated that bandits “bounce calls off multiple towers” to evade surveillance.

“There was an exercise that was conducted by the telcos to clean out all SIMs. The reason the president pushed us to invest in towers in those areas was the fact that we realised there was a special type of technology they were using to call,” Mr Tijani said.

The minister stated that criminal elements circumvent surveillance because the tools they use work effectively in remote areas with poor internet services.

He said, “They are not using the normal towers. They bounce calls off multiple towers. That is why they enjoy living in areas that are unconnected. This is why we are upgrading our two satellites, so that if our towers are not working, our satellites will work.”

Mr Tijani assured that the federal government will, in 2026, take the initiative to improve rural security surveillance.

“It is why we are investing in fibre. It is why next year this project will start. We are doing it with Huawei , 4,000 towers in rural areas,” the minister stated.

According to the minister, the deployment of 4,000 new telecom towers across underserved rural communities would help reduce crime rates.