The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N1.8 billion for the deployment of regulatory systems in the Nigerian telecommunications industry in order to combat criminal activity.

This was revealed by Prof. Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, in a press conference with State House correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday following a cabinet meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The system, according to Pantami, will help the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) monitor, detect, and block SIM box traffic that is being used for dubious or suspicious transactions.

What the Minister is attempting to convey.
Pantami claims that the system will combat voice traffic termination fraud and increase government revenue generation, citing the fact that using an international number will always result in higher taxes.

“The first memo, which was approved by the FEC, is for the NCC to deploy regulatory systems in the telecommunications industry.

“There are two parts to the system: the first is the deployment of a regulatory system to monitor, detect, and block SIM box traffic. It will be implemented by the NCC at a cost of N804.12 million.

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“The purpose of this deployment is to combat a type of fraud known as voice traffic termination fraud. The system will assist our country in two major ways in dealing with insecurity challenges.

“Occasionally, you will receive a call from a local number that has been (dubiously) set up as an international number; occasionally, a call will come in but the number will not be displayed.

“You may receive a call with a cloned number, in which case you should investigate further to determine who made the call.”

“As a result of these systems, the NCC will be able to address such criminal tendencies on behalf of the Nigerian government,” the minister said.

The deployment of a regulatory system to monitor, detect, block, and call masking traffic at a cost of N1.05 billion is the second component in the same memo, according to him.

“This will help our government generate more revenue because any international number will attract a higher tax, but if it appears as a local number, the government will be short-changed,” he explained.

According to him, the president has already given his approval for the deployment of systems to improve the security of all citizens, particularly mobile phone users. President Buhari also approved the NCC’s distribution of 6,000 e-pad mobile devices to tertiary institutions across the country, according to him.

“2400 of these devices will be distributed in the northern parts of the country; the same number will be distributed in the southern parts.

“A special allocation will be made for Abuja and Lagos, and the remaining 120 units of devices will be shared between the two cities,” he added.

On Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed regret for what he described as a “gruesome attack” on innocent travelers in Sokoto State.

Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina, issued a statement saying he was “very distressed at the manner of death visited on the hapless citizens who were on a legitimate journey to another part of the country.”
He claimed the incident demonstrated that “the evil this administration is fighting requires the support and participation of all Nigerians.”

Buhari expressed his condolences to the victims’ families, promising that “security agencies will continue to do everything possible to put an end to the operations of these despicable people.”

In a similar vein, the Senate observed a minute of silence on Wednesday to mourn the deaths of the travelers.

The Federal Executive Council has approved the purchase of 49 operable vehicles for the Nigerian Correctional Service for a total of N965.9 million.

Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior, revealed this to State House Correspondents at the conclusion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet meeting this week.

The cars to be found locally, according to the Minister, will complement those already in use by the Correctional Service.

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“The Nigerian Correctional Service, through the Ministry of Interior, presented a memo to council and received clearance to spend N965, 902, 524.58 on the acquisition of 49 operable and Green Maria cars,” he added.

“These 49 vehicles will be added to the 513 operational and Green Maria vehicles that have previously been purchased between 2016 and 2020.” This is not to say that we have met the Nigerian Correctional Service’s vehicle needs, but it is worth noting that since the beginning of this administration, a concerted effort and commitment has been made to ensure that the Correctional Service is equipped with operational tools to meet its mandate of keeping the facilities safe and having the logistics to move inmates from the facilities to the over 5022 courts scattered throughout Nigeria.”

The Interior Minister responded to recent calls for his resignation, saying that such calls were unnecessary in light of the frequent attacks on correctional facilities across the country.

“Just to name a few, our facility in Imo was assaulted in April, Kaba in September, Abulungu in October, and Jos in November.” Nobody wants the end of justice to be so susceptible, no matter how devastating those attacks were. Because correctional facilities are the ultimate conclusion of the administration of justice, they represent the final end of the criminal justice system.

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“So, morally, the State owes itself the responsibility of safe custody, which must not be violated, so we must appreciate the enormity of any successful attack on our detention facility, which I do.” However, I’d like us to consider these issues in the context of our current security situation.

“Our men died in Jos, which means that the best we could put there was there, and when your best isn’t good enough, it’s no longer a question of inability to prepare or failure to prepare; it’s just that we couldn’t hold the defense as expected,” he explained.

However, Aregbesola stated that the authorities involved are stepping up their efforts to guarantee that similar attacks do not occur again.

“We are stepping up our game and will prevent and even eliminate any such opportunistic attack; we are working with all arms of government, particularly security, to make our detention facilities impregnable, and we will not rest until we achieve that; that is the assurance I want to give Nigerians.” “As for whether it requires my resignation, I still don’t see any need for it because the attacks were not successful due to a lack of planning,” the Minister remarked.

The House of Representatives has decided to look into the country’s excessive use of online loan providers.

The resolution was included in a motion sponsored by Mr Akin Alabi, a member from Oyo State, on the urgent need to curb the excesses of online service providers.

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While presenting the motion, Mr Alabi noted that, in order to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19, a growing number of Nigerians are turning to digital lenders to meet urgent financial needs, as getting loans from traditional financial institutions can be difficult.

Several lending platforms, according to the lawmaker, are operating outside of the principle of lawful processing of personal data, as required by the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation and other relevant data protection provisions in Nigeria.

“Many online providers are exploiting the growing need for financial assistance and engaging in unfair collection practices by bombarding Nigerians’ contacts with unsolicited messages from the online providers in an attempt to force borrowers to pay,” he said.

The lending firms’ recovery agents use mostly unethical methods to recoup borrowed funds from defaulting clients.”

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Mr. Amadi Denis, a member from Enugu State, spoke during the debate and advised the House to proceed with caution when dealing with the matter because the operators are licensed by regulatory agencies.

The House mandated its banking, communications, and human rights committees to investigate the matter and report back to the House within two weeks after adopting the motion.

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his sorrow over the recent gruesome attack in Sokoto State on innocent travelers.

“I am very distressed at the manner of death visited on these hapless citizens who were undertaking a legitimate journey to another part of the country,” President Buhari said in response to the incident, which occurred on Wednesday.

“It demonstrates that the evil this administration is up against necessitates the support and participation of all Nigerians.”

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“I express my heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and assure them that the security agencies will continue to do everything possible to put an end to these despicable people’s operations.”

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the release of phones belonging to human rights campaigner Omoyele Sowore, which are being detained by the State Security Service (SSS).

Mr Sowore, who was detained on treasonous felony charges on August 2, 2019, has had his phones confiscated for the previous two years despite being released from SSS custody.

In a judgement issued on Wednesday, Justice I.A Chikere ordered the SSS to release the impounded phones while also giving the petitioner N2 million in compensation.

Mr Sowore has filed a case against the SSS, claiming damages for the breach of his fundamental human rights.

The secret police stated that the seized personal goods, including Mr Sowore’s phones and money, were still being used to track his ties to terrorism.

Details will be provided later…