Why bandits remain hard to track — Reno Omokri

Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has explained why security agencies often find it easier to trace social media users than to locate bandits and kidnappers operating in remote forests.

Omokri’s remarks followed public reactions to the recent arrest of individuals accused of spreading false information online, including an AI-generated audio allegedly linked to President Bola Tinubu.

Responding to criticism on Facebook, Omokri said security agencies rely heavily on digital intelligence tools such as phone tracking, IP address monitoring and telecommunications data to locate suspects.

According to him, these methods are effective in cities, towns and villages where mobile networks, internet infrastructure and digital footprints are readily available.

He explained that security agencies can obtain court orders to access data from telecommunications and internet service providers, allowing them to identify and trace suspects through triangulation and other tracking technologies.

However, he noted that such tools are less effective in forests and other remote areas where telecommunications infrastructure is limited or absent.

Omokri argued that many bandits operate in vast forest reserves with little or no network coverage, making digital tracking difficult. He cited Opara Forest in Oyo State as an example of a large area where criminal groups are believed to operate beyond the reach of conventional tracking systems.

He added that the challenge is compounded by the fact that the targets are often mobile and constantly changing locations.

The former presidential aide also noted that while drones can assist in surveillance operations, dense forest vegetation often restricts visibility and limits their effectiveness.

According to him, rescue operations become even more complicated when kidnappers use abducted victims as human shields, making direct military action riskier.

Omokri maintained that the difference in operating environments largely explains why suspects who leave digital footprints online can be tracked more easily than armed groups hiding in remote forests.