Fake Audio: Why Tracking Bandits Differs From Tracing Online Criminals, Reno Omokri Explains

Former presidential aide and Nigerian Ambassador Designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has defended security agencies over criticisms that followed the arrest of a suspect linked to an artificial intelligence-generated video involving President Bola Tinubu, saying tracking online suspects is significantly different from locating bandits operating in remote forests.

Omokri made the clarification while responding on X to a user identified as Oku, who questioned reports that the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team had apprehended a suspect connected to the controversial AI-generated video.

Reacting to the arrest, the user asked, “So I ask again, is it difficult to track bandits?”

In his response, Omokri explained that security agencies often rely on digital tracking methods such as triangulation, which uses cell phone towers, routers, IP addresses, phone numbers and social media accounts to trace suspects.

READ ALSO: Creator Of Fake Tinubu Audio On State Of Nation Arrested – Presidency

According to him, once a court warrant is obtained, authorities can also request relevant data from telecommunications and internet service providers to determine a suspect’s location.

“Triangulation and other means of narrowing down your location work almost like science in urban and even rural areas. So, it is not difficult to trace people who live in cities, towns, and villages, once you have their digital footprints,” he said.

He, however, noted that the situation differs significantly when dealing with criminals operating in forests, deserts and other isolated terrains where telecommunications infrastructure is limited or non-existent.

Omokri cited Opara Forest in Oyo State as an example, describing it as a vast area where suspected cross-border bandits are believed to operate.

“There are no cell phone towers or routers in Opara Forest. Please fact-check me. So, the ability to digitally trace these bandits using triangulation is severely limited,” he stated.

He also referred to communities around Ogbomosho, including Ahoro-Esinele, Yawota and Alawusa, where children were reportedly abducted, claiming that telecommunications coverage in the area is weak or absent.

According to him, poor network access in such locations creates additional challenges for security agencies attempting to track suspects through digital means.

Omokri further argued that while drones can assist surveillance efforts, their effectiveness is often reduced in heavily forested areas because thick tree cover obstructs visibility from above.

He added that rescue operations become more complicated when kidnappers use abductees as human shields.

“Even if you can somehow find them in the heavily forested areas they operate in, neutralising them poses another risk, because they tend to use their hostages as human shields,” he said.

The former presidential aide urged Nigerians to appreciate the operational difficulties faced by security personnel and avoid making what he described as unfair comparisons between tracing online suspects and tracking armed bandits in remote locations.

He called on citizens to support security agencies in their efforts to combat insecurity across the country.