Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Policy Communication, has revealed a key challenge. He explained why security agents struggle to track armed bandits. These criminals often display ransom money on social media platforms like TikTok and others.
Bwala clarified the situation. He noted that tracking Nigerians is simpler. This is because they use internet services within the country. Bandits, however, often utilize services from outside Nigeria.
He elaborated on the existing framework. “Nigeria has a regulatory body,” Bwala stated. “This body maintains a comprehensive database of Nigerians and their phone numbers.”
“Additionally, an agency handles internet service provision,” he added. “If you use a service within Nigeria, they can trace you via your IP address. This helps determine your location.”
Bwala then highlighted a major obstacle. “If you are using Starlink, tracing becomes impossible,” he explained. “Starlink is not registered here; its services operate from space.”
He drew a parallel to global issues. “This mirrors problems faced in places like Ukraine and Russia,” Bwala said. “Often, these criminals use cellular services from neighboring countries. They intentionally avoid Nigerian networks. This makes tracking them significantly trickier for our security agencies.”
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