ICT specialists say government lacks will, list factors inhibiting surveillance
By OLAMIDE OJUOKAIYE, Lagos and INNOCENT ODOH, , Abuja
For more than 30 days, abducted children and teachers from Yawota in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have been languishing in terrorists’ captivity.
During this period, the terrorists have continued to release footage of their captives in deplorable conditions, with the unfortunate victims and their families trapped in anxiety and uncertainty over their fate while their kidnappers make demands.
The dust raised by the kidnapping of dozens of school pupils and teachers is yet to settle amid rising public apprehension over the increasing incidence of this dastardly behaviour by bandits, who appear brazen enough to film the horrors of their atrocities and broadcast them to the public without fear of retribution.
The grisly scene in which the bandits beheaded one of the teachers abducted alongside the hapless pupils filled the public with horror and indignation, much of which has been directed at governments at all levels, especially the federal government.
The painful pattern is that the bandit-kidnappers abduct victims, keep them in forests and bushes for prolonged periods, and demand ransom from families, friends and the government. They make calls, record videos, and post content on social media platforms while the authorities struggle to track and arrest them.
However, the prolonged captivity of the victims has once again raised questions about Nigeria’s capacity to track criminal groups that routinely use mobile phones, video recordings and digital platforms to negotiate with families and security operatives.
For many Nigerians, the question is simple: if kidnappers are communicating through phones and online platforms, why can they not be tracked and apprehended?
The debate has triggered allegations of weak political will, institutional inefficiency, and possible complicity within sections of the system. It has also reignited concerns about Nigeria’s capacity to use modern surveillance tools to combat organised crime.
ICT experts, telecommunications analysts and security specialists who spoke to LEADERSHIP Sunday said the challenge is less about the absence of technology and more about how intelligence is processed, shared and acted upon.
According to them, while modern systems can generate actionable intelligence, Nigeria’s difficulties stem from poor coordination among agencies, weak operational capacity, difficult terrain, and increasingly sophisticated tactics used by criminal groups.
Hanniel Jafaru, an ICT and cybersecurity expert, said tracking abductors using SIM-based phones is technically possible but often undermined by systemic failures.
“If the bandit-kidnappers are making calls from a regular SIM-based phone, it would be very easy to track them,” he said.
“With SIM-based phones, you can do triangulation and track any SIM anywhere in Nigeria, as long as calls are made via a telecom mast. So, it is possible to track those phones,” he added.
However, he noted that the use of satellite phones would complicate tracking, requiring more advanced capabilities.
He also suggested that lapses in political will may be a factor in the continued difficulty of apprehending perpetrators.
Another ICT expert, who requested anonymity, insisted the problem is not technological but institutional, alleging that authorities may already possess intelligence on criminal locations.
“The problem is not technology. The government knows where the bandits are, but why they cannot be tracked is the question,” he said.
He criticised what he described as weak political commitment, warning that public frustration over insecurity could escalate further.
