Terrorism: Bandits Use Foreign Networks, It’s Hard Tracking Them – Bwala
Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has said security agencies are increasingly challenged by criminals who operate online using internet and telecom services outside Nigeria’s regulatory framework.
Speaking in an interview on Nigeria Info 99.3, Bwala explained that while local telecom operators fall under Nigerian regulations, many criminal groups now rely on foreign networks, complicating efforts to trace their locations.
He said Nigeria maintains a unified database of citizens’ phone numbers and can track internet activity through IP addresses when users depend on domestic service providers.
The difficulty, he added, arises when offenders use platforms and services hosted outside the country.
According to him, some syndicates and terrorist groups take advantage of connectivity routed through neighbouring countries or satellite services that are not registered within Nigeria’s regulatory framework.
Bwala pointed out that this loophole limits the effectiveness of traditional digital surveillance tools, contrasting it with the ease with which security agencies can track regular citizens operating within local networks.
He added that satellite-based services, which operate independently of Nigerian infrastructure, have contributed to similar difficulties in conflict zones such as Ukraine and Russia.
“There is a regulatory body in Nigeria that has the database of Nigerians and their phone numbers. 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,” Bwala said.
He added, “If you are using Starlink, we cannot trace it because Starlink is not registered in Nigeria; it is in space. 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.”
Bwala’s comments highlight the technological challenges facing security agencies in the fight against banditry and terrorism across the country.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that Nigeria has faced a surge in insecurity, with banditry, terrorism, and kidnappings increasingly affecting communities, particularly in the northwest and northeast. In the last few months, there have been multiple attacks on villages, abductions of schoolchildren, and raids on highways, causing widespread fear and disrupting local economies.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
