The Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has disclosed the reason security agents are finding it challenging to track armed bandits who flaunt ransom money on social media platforms like TikTok and others.
Bwala stated this during an interview on Nigeria Info radio station. The interviewer asked why security agents easily track and arrest Nigerians who use social media to vent their frustrations, but are unable to track and arrest the bandits who have, over the years, killed many Nigerians and destroyed properties.
Responding to the question, Bwala explained that Nigerians can be easily tracked because they use internet services within the country, but bandits use services from outside the country.
The President’s aide said, “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 where you are.
“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 the neighbouring countries and not from Nigeria, so it becomes tricky.’’
Terrorists and bandits have increased their attacks on some states in the country in the past two weeks, forcing the Nigerian government to declare a national security emergency. Some of the terrorists go live on social media, flaunting their ill-got money with a significant number of followers.
Do you believe the Nigerian government cannot trace these terrorists who use TikTok and other social media platforms? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
