By Dele Moses 
Monday, July 19, 2010
Source: Daily Independent

Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki, has advised the Federal Government to compel the GSM operators to adopt devices for locating the specific area a call is being made to facilitate the tracing of kidnappers.

He said that the operators should be made to install in strategic places in all parts of the country gadgets that will indicate area of call, saying this will assist in apprehending kidnappers and others who make calls for illegal deals.

Saraki who made the advice in an interview with newsmen at the state Government House in Ilorin on Monday, recalled that he had once written a letter to the Presidency over the matter.

He said that the cost of procuring the needed gadgets by the GSM operators is very cheap compare with the huge profit they make from their numerous customers in Nigeria.

He said kidnapping is a criminal business and expressed worry that it is spreading in the country unabated.

He said government should not handle the fight against the illegal practice with levity

The governor said kidnapping could hardly be experienced in any developed countries because when such calls demanding for ransom are made the caller would be traced within 30 minutes and arrested.

He said the kidnapping of journalists for a week was an embarrassment to the nation and advised that the development should be considered as a challenge to launch a decisive fight against the illegal act

The governor said the call centre detecting devices is not unaffordable by the GSM operator and alleged that the operators fail to procure them because of their drive to make profit at the expense of the well being of their customers on whom they survive

He said people of the country would continue to suffer kidnapping if the GSM operators are not compel to install the device to discourage the criminal act.

Going by the evidence available, tracking mobile phones is a technology that is taken for granted in many parts of the world. What excuse do our mobile phone companies have for not providing this service. I know that they are certainly capable of doing this. They seem to be more concerned with charging for services, which they should provide free and charging outrageous prices for their services. I want to believe that their refusal to make this service available as a public service shows that they are operating in bad faith. Someone correct me if I'm mistaken.