Unsolicited SMS: NCC Forum Calls for National ICT Framework for Policing

To protect telecommunications infrastructure and fight criminals using unregistered SIM cards to commit crime in the country, stakeholders at the just concluded sensitization workshop for law enforcement agencies on telecommunications issues organized by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) held recently in Lagos, rose up from the forum calling for improved national information communication technology framework for policing.

Speaking during the workshop, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, executive vice chairman of NCC, told the gathering that telecoms infrastructure must be protected for effective service delivery, warning that it is criminal to use unregistered SIM card in the country.

He said that there was urgent need to design more effective strategies to beat every instance of violation of the laws, and also ensure that anyone who is arrested with unregistered SIM is prosecuted.

According the EVC who was represented by Mr. Tony Ojobo, director, Public Affairs of NCC,  said that, “We already know we need to do this. But what needs to be done differently,

who needs to do it and how it should be done to achieve the most efficient results must be addressed.

The NCC EVC charged the gathering to generate ideas that would address the challenges and enhance a more robust climate for telecommunications regulation in Nigeria.

For Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, inspector general of Police, there was need for relevant security agencies to work together with NCC for effective use of ICT to fight criminals across the nation.

The recent move by the federal government to declare telecom infrastructure in the country as critical national and security assets, according to IGP who was represented by Fuluso Adebanjo, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, is a step in the right direction, adding that it should be accompanied with immediate actions.

He said that vandalism of telecoms equipment was hampering the provision of quality of services to the over 140 million subscribers in the country.

Such disruptions, according to him, not only disconnect subscribers, but also cause embarrassment to businesses and national security.

Noting that it has adverse effects on the economy, he said that there was need for national ICT framework policing.

Speaking on ICT as enabler for effective policing, the former Inspector General of Police, Dr. Solomon Arase told the gathering that there was need for the Police to collaborate with NCC for application of technical intelligence to combat crimes using ICT.

With effective application of ICT in policing, the former IGP believed that there will be detection, prevention of crime, apprehension of offenders, strong intelligence gathering ability, technical evidence in the aid of prosecution, restoration of citizen's confidence and analogue policing to best international policing standards.

Dealing with crimes on Satellite based telephony systems, dealing with crimes on internet based video/ voice communication system, challenges with pre-registered SIM cards, legal/ethical issues, institutional capacity gap, budgetary limitations, absence of national police ICT policy, unsavoury inter-agency collaboration among strategic players in ICT, among others, according to him are some of the challenges.

As a way forward, he called for multi-layer collaboration between NCC, service providers, government and Policing agencies.

For Paul Usoro, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who spoke on telecommunications offences in Nigeria, challenges of diligent prosecution and the way forward, much may not be achieved on regulating telecommunications in Nigeria unless relevant agencies collaborate.

Noting that there should be knowledge sharing among relevant agencies, he said that monitoring, investigation and prosecution of criminals should be carefully followed.

Stating that there should be speedy disposal of cases generally despite challenge of getting the witnesses, he noted that Nigerian courts should be computerised. I do not know why we cannot get voice records in the court, he said.