The Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) says its upcoming NigComSat-2A and 2B satellites will strengthen Nigeria’s security capabilities by supporting the tracking of criminals and providing more secure communication channels for military personnel operating in remote locations.
In August 2026, the Federal Executive Council approved the acquisition and deployment of NigComSat-2A and 2B, marking a major step in the project’s implementation.
NIGCOMSAT Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jane Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, said the satellites would enhance technical support for Nigeria’s defence and security agencies, particularly in areas where existing communication infrastructure is limited or vulnerable to compromise.
Egerton-Idehen disclosed this during an interview on Sunrise Daily on Monday, where she identified satellite surveillance and secure communications as potential applications of the new space assets.
What NIGCOMSAT is saying
According to Egerton-Idehen, the NigComSat-2A and 2B satellites will provide capabilities that can support surveillance and the tracking of criminals, including in areas where conventional infrastructure is difficult to deploy.
“Satellite comes in, and we can track criminals with it. Surveillance is part of the things you can do with satellites,” she said.
She explained that satellite imagery, digital mapping and tracking technologies could be used for surveillance, depending on the technology and equipment available.
“If there’s a digital map there, that means if there’s access to technology, of course there are things you can track and survey,” she said.
Egerton-Idehen also highlighted communication difficulties faced by Nigeria’s armed forces during operations in remote locations.
She said troops deployed to areas such as the Sambisa Forest can struggle to maintain contact with command and control centres, while available communication channels may also be vulnerable to compromise.
“We have our armed forces or the people in the defence sector, and sometimes their biggest challenge is communication. You’re going to put them in Sambisa Forest to go and fight there, and there is no way to talk to command and control. That is very difficult,” she said.
“And sometimes there is a way, but it’s not secure because it gets compromised, and they get compromised. That’s what we’re saying,” she added.
She said the new satellite capacity is intended to help address these gaps by providing the defence sector with communication tools that can operate at a larger scale.
The satellite project comes as Nigeria continues to invest in expanding its terrestrial communications infrastructure and closing connectivity gaps across the country.
In August 2026, the Federal Government incorporated Bridge Open Access, the company established to deliver the planned 90,000-kilometre nationwide fibre-optic network under Project BRIDGE.
The $2 billion project is designed to expand open-access broadband infrastructure beyond Nigeria’s major commercial centres, improving connectivity across underserved parts of the country.
