Considering the pivotal
role telecommunications plays in the lives and economic wellbeing of any
country, no effort should be spared in protecting the infrastructure and
platforms of the industry, according to Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), of the
NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta.
But NCC is concerned about
increasing cases of illegal sealing up of telecoms Base Transceiver Stations
(BTS) across the country by various persons, including organizations,
communities, agencies of the Federal State and local government at times using
law enforcement officers.
Danbatta who led a team of
NCC Directors and officials on a courtesy visit to the Inspector General of
Police (IGP), Solomon Arase in Abuja recently, lamented that apart from the
actions being illegal, they also violate Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act, CAP C39, laws of the Federation of
Nigeria, 2004.
Sealing up of Base
Stations also has its social implication that is cutting off subscribers from
communicating thereby degrading quality of service, which is already a major
concern.
Acts of willful
destruction of telecoms infrastructure, cutting of fibre optics and general
vandalism have become very worrisome, hence the proposal for the institution of
a critical infrastructure law that will require the police to monitor and
protect public infrastructure.
“While we seek your
support for urgent actualization of this law, we wish to implore you to see to
the use of the current provisions of the law to ensure that individuals found
to be engaged in willful destruction of telecoms infrastructure are timely
prosecuted,” Danbatta pleaded with the IGP.
Both agencies of
government, recently pledged to collaborate on vital issues concerning security
of telecoms infrastructure and capacity building for modern policing which the
IGP, Solomon Arase, stressed, forms the bedrock of modern security practices.
While the EVC, used the
opportunity of the visit to place a request list on the table of the Inspector
General of Police, Solomon Arase, which includes the intervention of the IGP in
the following areas: Illegal Sealing of Base Stations, Protection of Critical
Telecom Infrastructure, Stealing of Telecom Equipment, and Prosecution of Cases
on Contraventions of NCC Regulations; an excited IGP lauded the role of modern
telecoms in tackling national security challenges, citing kidnapping as one
area where the role of GSM has been pronounced.
Explaining that over the
years the telecommunications sector has grown in leaps and now forms the super
structure of modern lifestyle, social and economic practices, Danbatta told
Arase that except something was done urgently the adverse practices as listed
above will hurt the industry and impact very negatively on life in the country
“Virtually all the
financial transactions, mobile money and mobile banking are made possible as a
result of the infrastructure and platforms provided by the telecom industry.
The vibrant social media
industry that we are witnessing today is made possible by the platforms
provided by the telecom industry. The telecom and ICT industry currently
contributes about 10% to the GDP of this country. It is therefore evident that
telecommunications impact positively on our lives, our families, businesses,
governance, security, and even our social lives, and even in our international relations,”
Danbatta explained while appealing to the IGP to help provide security for the
protection of these vital facilities.
Danbatta recalled that
several arrests have been made over the past two years, of those involved in
either the use of pre-registered SIM Cards or those perpetrating other criminal
acts. Although the Police were part of the compliance team of the Commission
which carried out the arrests, most of the cases were either thrown out for
lack of proper investigation or lack of diligent prosecution.
Danbatta who recently
released an 8-point Agenda aimed at repositioning the telecommunications sector
told the IGP that as the Commission under him was putting more emphasis on
sanitizing the telecom environment and enforcing compliance to its regulations,
he would need the law enforcement community, especially the police to support
his efforts.
Arase who expressed the
readiness of the Force to work with the Commission immediately proposed the
setting up of joint teams, drawn from the Police and the Commission which will
handle telecom related cases.
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