Banditry: Experts disagree as Telcos implement NCC’s directive, deactivate 248 telecoms base stations in Zamfara

*Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria discloses the telecoms firms are complying with the directive of Nigerian Communications Commission as the regulatory authority for the telecoms industry, over the reported worsening security situation in Zamfara State

*As some security experts have disagreed with the Federal Government over the suspension of telecoms services in Zamfara, consumers may be unable to make calls, send SMS, or browse the Internet for the next 14 days

Gbenga Kayode│ConsumerConnect

Following the earlier express directive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in regard to the shutdown of telecoms services for two weeks over the heightened state of insecurity in the North-West state, concerned telecoms companies (Telcos) have shut down their base stations in the state.

The Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) source has confirmed, that all the telecoms operators in the region had complied with the Federal Government’s directive to shut down telecoms services, The Punch report said.

Some of the telecoms companies in Nigeria

NCC as the telecoms industry regulator in the country has described a base station as “a fixed transceiver that functions as the main communication point for one or more wireless mobile devices… it serves as a central connection point for wireless devices to communicate.”

ConsumerConnect had reported the Nigerian Government’s directive came as the last-ditch effort that may completely wind down economic activities in the state.

Zamfara Government’s earlier efforts at curbing banditry

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State earlier, had announced the closure of all weekly markets in the state as part of practical measures to address the worsening security situation in the enclave.

The governor in a leaked letter, dated August 31, 2021 and titled, ‘Temporary Shutdown of GSM Networks’ had stated: “Following the escalation, the Zamfara State Security Council resolved that extra measures for public safety and strengthening the battle against banditry in the state should be taken.

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State

“Accordingly, a task force was set up to ensure the new measures are enforced. The Council noted that one of the biggest hurdles to combating banditry is the issue of informers who use mobile networks to communicate with bandits about the movements of troops.

“The bandits also take advantage of the availability of the networks to coordinate their attacks.”

Subsequently, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, wrote, signed and dispatched a memo titled, “Re: Shutdown of All Telecom Sites in Zamfara State”, to the Chief Executive Officers of the concerned telecoms companies operating in Zamfara State and the neighbouring states.

“The pervading security situation in Zamfara has necessitated an immediate shutdown of all telecommunications services in the state from today, September 3, 2021.

“This is to enable relevant security agencies to carry out the required activities towards addressing the security challenge in the state,” Prof. Danbatta stated.

The EVC/CEO of the regulatory Commission further said: “In line with this requirement, Globacom is hereby directed to shut down all sites in Zamfara State and any states in neighbouring states that could provide telecommunications services in Zamfara State.

“The site shut down is for two weeks from September 3 to September 17, 2021, in the first instance. Your urgent action in this regard is required.”

Telecoms firms implementing NCC’s directive, says ALTON  

In view of the NCC’s directive, that the Telcos act fast in this regard, the quoted source in ALTON disclosed that the telecoms firms “had no choice but to implement the directive of the NCC, being the regulatory authority for the telecommunications industry.”

“It is the NCC that sent the letter, and it is for all of the operators. When the government gives directives or when the regulator gives a directive what do you expect the Telcos to do?”

Nigerian telecoms service consumers 

The source added: “Looking at what it means for the residents, we have to ask ourselves why the telecoms infrastructure was shut down in the first place.

“That is the question the citizens should be asking. It is for their benefit. I cannot comment on how the shutting down order works, because as we are speaking, they are listening to us.”

248 telecoms base stations deactivated in Zamfara State ─Report

Zamfara State, located in North-West Nigeria, has about 248 base stations, which have now been shut down, report stated.

According to NCC in its ‘2020 Subscriber/Network Data Report’, there were a total of 33,832 towers belonging to mobile and fixed operators, collocation and infrastructure companies in 2020, while the operators had a total of 36,998 base stations as of the time.

The report noted that Jigawa, Ebonyi, Gombe, Yobe and Zamfara were the states with the least number of base stations, with Zamfara having 248 base stations.

It, however, listed the top five states with the highest number of towers as Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory.

Report quoted another industry source to have said, “Essentially, to shut down the network, you have to shut down the base stations.

“The average base station in the state is remotely controlled and it goes back to a server somewhere. If I want to shut it down, I click on the shutdown remotely.

“Every base station is saying something. So, the monitoring team is able to control it remotely. Note that this is a government request.

“I don’t know how the logistics will work, but every base station has a security guard on duty, running the generator every day. They will simply turn off the generator, and that is a total shutdown.”

Implications of 14-day shutdown of telecoms services for consumers

As the plundering bandits terrorise the North-West state of the country, and in line with the implementation of the NCC directive for the next 14 days, telecoms consumers in Zamfara State might be unable to make calls, send text messages (SMS), or browse the Internet.

The National Bureau of Statistics report has indicated, that Nigeria had a total of 192,413,613 active voice subscribers and 144,949,194 active Internet subscribers in the first quarter of 2021.

Thus, Zamfara State with landmass of 15,352 square miles and a population of 4,353,533, has about 2,177,431 active voice telecoms subscribers and 1,592,746 active Internet subscribers.

Quoting a reliable source in one of the telecoms companies in Nigeria, report says for the directive to be implemented, Telcos “must shut down their base stations and that people would be unable to communicate or use the Internet” during the period.

“If all the providers shut down their base stations, it means there won’t be any communication in the state again.

“The base stations speak to one another; they are connected. It is one base station contacting the next one when you make a call and that is why it is mobile.

“So, if you shut down base stations in a state, that means there would be no communication. They won’t be able to call, send text messages or browse the Internet,” said the source.

The source added: “Although if there is a base station in a border town, and that base station is shut down, it will affect that particular area in the two states, but it is just that area. It won’t affect other states, because their own base stations are active.”

Security professionals agree and disagree with NCC’s directive

While some security experts have disagreed with the Federal Government over the suspension of telecommunications services in Zamfara State, others have described it as a right step in the right direction, according to report.

Kabiru Adamu, a security management and intelligence specialist, noted inasmuch as he understood what the government was trying to achieve, it might not yield the desired result afterall.

Adamu stated: “We have seen other places where this was tried and it failed. One of the reasons is that some of these locations are border communities; thus it is easy to use lines that are from neighbouring countries.

“I doubt if the government has reached out to its counterparts in these countries to also ban the usage of their lines in the state and adjourning communities.

The security management and intelligence professional also stated: “Second, there are satellite phones; these bandits have money. They can resort to using one.

“Also, there are digital radios that can go as far as 100km and even more. There are options for them to deploy that to enable them to still communicate. The efficacy of this policy is in doubt.”

According to him, in terms of the economic damage, this measure will have a great impact on businesses in the area.

“Many businesses today run through telecommunications. We should not forget that it is not just voice communication; there are a lot of platforms. It would affect the business ecosystem of the state,” Adamu submitted.

Timothy Avele, Managing Director, Agent-X Security Limited, also noted that the shutdown would further bring untold hardship to the people.

According to Avele, there are better ways to block information leakages with technology.

“This is a bad decision. I do not see any benefit in such action; rather it would worsen the already bad situation on the ground.

“If the Federal Government’s fear is that bandits have people who tip them off, then it simply means absolute failure of intelligence and counter-intelligence. There are better and simple ways to block such information leakages with technology.

“This is a simple problem companies in Nigeria could solve within two weeks with less than N10m,” he declared.

In his comment on the development in Zamfara State, Commodore Abimbola Ayuba (Rtd.) was as well quoted to have stated that more attention should be focused on information leakages saying, that the bandits have sophisticated equipment.

Commodore Ayuba said: “There is a lot of infiltration into the fabrics of our governance system to the extent that information leakage has become common. This needs more attention; we should tackle this first.”

He observed that some consumers actually depend on telecommunication services for their livelihoods, and this might cause them hardship.

Ayuba added: “Also, these bandits don’t rely on this platform, they have sophisticated equipment.”

However, Mr. Mike Ejiofor, a former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), in Nigeria, has described the Federal Government’s move in Zamfara as a welcome development.

If there is no conducive environment, the bandits could not do their business, and they “must be stopped from moving and communicating with themselves and even victims. Ejiofor said: “This action of the government will create a problem for them (bandits). We should go beyond rhetoric in tackling insecurity in this country. To me, this move is intelligence-driven.

The erstwhile DSS Chief added the clincher: “The bandits need to be demobilised. Apart from this decision, we should deploy drones to some areas in the state to monitor these bandits as well as deny them free movement. This move must also be sustained.”

Kindly Share This Story