Telecom
SSS, Police Get Powers to Tap Phones
Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) plans to introduce lawful interception (LI), a legally sanctioned official access to private communications, such as telephone calls or e-mail messages in a bid to enhance national security, prevent crime and aid criminal investigations.
Under the initiative, in response to a warrant from a judge, lawful interception is performed simply by applying a ‘tap’ on the telephone line of the target, making it possible for security agencies in Nigeria to listen to terrorist and criminal cell phone calls and gather communications intelligence on their dark activities.
The commission said it is drawing powers from Section 70 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 and all other powers enabling it in that regard.
It has not however fixed a date for the takeoff of the controversial policy which critics said can be used by repressive governments to intimidate opposition.
A draft guideline posted on NCC website requires service providers and Internet service providers to implement their networks to explicitly support authorized electronic surveillance.
“These regulations are made to provide a legal and regulatory framework for the lawful interception of Communications in Nigeria, the collection and disclosure of intercepted Communications. These Regulations shall; provide the legal and regulatory framework for the lawful interception of Communications in Nigeria and to put into effect the provisions of sections 146 and 147 of the Act; specify the nature and types of Communications to be intercepted; prescribe penalties for non-compliance with these Regulations; provide a notification procedure to the Commission of all Warrants issued, amended renewed or cancelled under these Regulations; ensure the privacy of subscribers as contained in the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria is persevered” the commission said.
According to the NCC, a fine of N5 million awaits a service provider or any of its officers which fails to comply with the provisions of the regulation.
“If such an offence is continuing, such a Licensee or officer shall be liable to a daily default penalty of N 500,000; the Commission may revoke the License of the Licensee for failure to comply with the regulation. The Commission shall give a prior written notice to the Licensee of such revocation, not less than [30] days to the withdrawal of the License. In addition the Commission may institute an action for non-compliance by way of an injunction or a specific performance or any or such other judicial means of enforcing a duty or obligation imposed on a Licensee pursuant to this regulation” it said.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that though lawful interception has existed since the inception of electronic communications in the form “wiretapping”, it has become increasingly necessary now because of the sophistication of criminal enterprises in exploiting emerging communications channels.
The criminal activities pose real challenge to organizations responsible for protecting public safety including the police and courts,
It would be recalled that office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) had in early 2010 summoned all telecom operators in the country recently and tabled the proposed initiative.
At the meeting were the House of Representative Committee on Communications, telecom operators as well as the minister of information and communications
The office of the NSA had given all technical data to lawful interception and requested its vendors to contact their consultant for any clarification.
The office has also given a deadline which expired on July 6, 2010 for all technical enquiries following which it is expected to release the implementation schedule for the lawful interception.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that the federal government has directed its consultants to put in place law interception provisions including secure access to protect information and insure network integrity.
It is also expected to be undetectable with secure transport to authorized law enforcement agencies as well as scalable and high availability to accommodate changing network environments.
Lawful interception is expected to help address concerns over ARPU, telecommunications fraud, denial of service attacks, customer satisfaction, and growing security fears – particularly over global terrorist activities.
Chijoke Nwosu, a security consultant applauded the initiative and said that in today’s unstable environments, the need for intelligence information is vital in preventing and combating crime. He however warned that high security requirements for LI systems are important to prevent possible manipulation and misuse.
Nodding in agreement, John Iyene Owobokiri, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek in-house legal expert, however said that Lawful interception has a strong legal basis.
According to Owobokiri, there is need to complement the multifaceted regulation of lawful interception with elaborated provisions of law concerning the requirements for the design and development of lawful interception systems.
On the other side of the divide, concerns have been raised as critics said such move would amount to infringement of peoples’ privacy.
Amnesty International is concerned by instances where the provision of powerful surveillance and interception capabilities to repressive states are contributing to human rights violations carried out by the police, security and intelligence forces.
Though the organization said that it is not opposed to the transfer of surveillance in general, but such technologies have inherent capabilities that facilitate human rights abuses by security forces in repressive countries.
MTN Nigeria is accelerating investments in network expansion and modernization to address rising demand for mobile and data services across the country.
The operator is deploying additional base stations, upgrading existing infrastructure, and expanding fiber connectivity to improve network capacity, coverage, and service quality.
The investments are designed to support increasing smartphone adoption, higher data consumption, and the growing use of digital services by consumers and businesses.
MTN said the expansion aligns with its long-term strategy to enhance customer experience while strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
The company expects the ongoing upgrades to improve connectivity, support economic growth, and enable broader access to reliable telecommunications services as demand for high-speed broadband continues to increase.
Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar, has announced the telco’s commitment to connecting 5,000 schools across its operating countries in Africa to the internet by 2027 through its philanthropic arm, Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
So far, the $57m partnership, which was launched in 2021, has cumulatively connected 3,296 schools and provided access to over 2 million learners and about 40,000 teachers. 64 digital learning platforms have been zero-rated thereby enabling more than 11m users to access educational content at no cost.
Speaking during a visit to St. Monica’s Girls School in Lusaka, which is one of the 300 schools already connected to the internet in Zambia, the Airtel Africa CEO stated that the initiative is having a profound impact on the quality of education by expanding access to digital learning resources for African children, in collaboration with governments.
Mr Taldar added: “Students are accessing best-in-class education from the curriculum developed by UNICEF in partnership with various Ministries of Education and provided through Airtel’s connectivity.
“We are also training teachers, so that they deliver digital education effectively. We aim to continue deepening meaningful connectivity in schools by providing free internet access, zero‑rated platforms and training teachers across the continent”.
Expressing her appreciation, the Headmistress of St. Monica’s Girls’ School, Sr Matilda Soloko said: “Being among the first schools connected in the initial stage, our learners have been able to study using the learning portal and their studies have been intensified. We remain grateful to Airtel and UNICEF.”
UNICEF’s Country Representative for Zambia, Dr Saja Farooq Abdullah said: “What this partnership has brought is really bridging the equality gap and the digital divide. It is making sure that every child learns wherever they are. It was exciting and interesting to see and hear from the girls how they can learn at their own pace, how they can review the materials, and how they do their homework with comfort.
The Director of Secondary Education in Zambia’s Ministry of Education, Yvonne Mwemba Chuulu lauded UNICEF and Airtel for the partnership saying: “At the Ministry of Education, we cannot do it alone, and we are grateful for the partnership that we have today.
“Our children are able to learn in a blended fashion, where we have a teacher who is also employing digital devices. We have also heard from the learners that they are able to access the portal when they are at home, which is a good thing because our learners continue to learn in the comfort of their homes”.
The School Connection programme is expanding digital learning to learners in 13 countries: Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. By equipping these schools with internet connectivity and training teachers on using the digital tools, it is providing children, particularly in underserved and remote regions, with the digital tools and skills they need to thrive.
Airtel Africa Foundation is advancing inclusive development across four strategic pillars, Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Inclusion.
MultiChoice has officially become a wholly owned subsidiary of French media company Canal+, marking the completion of one of the largest acquisitions in Africa’s media and entertainment industry.
The integration brings the South Africa-based pay television operator under the full ownership of Canal+, a global media group with operations in 70 countries.
Announcing the completion of the transaction on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer of Canal+ Africa and MultiChoice, David Mignot, described the development as the beginning of a new phase of growth for the broadcaster.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries.
“The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mignot said.
The acquisition combines Canal+’s international operations with MultiChoice’s extensive footprint across sub-Saharan Africa, where it serves millions of households through its DStv and GOtv platforms, as well as the Showmax streaming service.
According to Canal+, the integration will strengthen MultiChoice’s competitive position by giving it access to broader financial resources, technology, content partnerships and operational expertise.
The company said the combined business would increase investment in local content production, sports broadcasting and streaming services as competition intensifies from global platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
The transaction is also expected to provide MultiChoice with greater access to international markets at a time when traditional pay television operators are adapting to changing consumer viewing habits and the rapid growth of digital streaming platforms.
Canal+ has expanded steadily across Africa over the past decade and now assumes full control of a business operating in more than 45 African countries, further strengthening its position in the continent’s media and entertainment sector.
The acquisition followed Canal+’s gradual increase in its shareholding in MultiChoice, which began in 2024.
After exceeding the regulatory threshold, the company launched a mandatory offer in April 2024 to acquire the remaining shares of the Johannesburg-listed broadcaster.
Following regulatory approvals and shareholder acceptance, Canal+ secured control of MultiChoice in 2025 before completing the process that has now made the company a wholly owned subsidiary.
Industry observers describe the acquisition as one of the most significant media transactions involving an African company, reflecting a broader trend of consolidation as global entertainment firms seek greater scale to compete in the streaming era.
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