The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian
Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has solicited the
protection of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on telecommunications
infrastructure in the country, reports ITRealms.
NCC expressed concerned over 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 made this appeal when he 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.
He also said that sealing up of Base Stations has its social
implication that is cutting off subscribers from communicating thereby
degrading quality of service, which is already a major concern.
According to him, acts of willful destruction of telecoms
infrastructure, such as 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 solicited.
ITRealms gathered that 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.
IGP Arase in response expressed 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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