The Federal Government has revealed that Nigerian security services are collaborating with major social media platforms to identify and deactivate accounts used by terrorist and criminal groups to publicize their activities and raise funding.
Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, Director-General of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, stated at an end-of-year briefing in Abuja on Tuesday that terrorists used platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and X to publicize operations, display looted items, and communicate with supporters.
According to him, security officials have engaged with social media companies on multiple occasions to address content and accounts that pose a threat to national security.
“The issue of social media platforms used by terrorist groups—if you knew how many accounts we took down. We have had several meetings with these social media platforms, like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and X.
“They are businesses looking to grow their subscribers, but we engage them, explain the effects of certain posts on national security, and take them down.
“There was a time when bandits would go on TikTok showing their loot. We took those accounts down—you won’t see that again. At some point, they were even doing live streams and holding conversations, but we’ve been able to handle all that.”
He stated that the techniques of terrorists, such as the use of aliases and unverified accounts, are ever-changing, and that security services are always adjusting to counter them.
Laka also stated that ransom payments remain a major source of terror financing, with point-of-sale operators increasingly being used to transport monies.
He explained that in many cases, ransom payments are routed to POS operators’ accounts, who then release the funds to kidnappers, making tracing more difficult.
“You see a transfer made by terrorists, and when you investigate the account, it belongs to a POS operator. The kidnappers give out the POS operator’s number, the money is transferred, and they go to collect it,” he said.
The counter-terrorism chief stated that security services had increased efforts to track ransom payments, arrest individuals responsible, and disrupt terror financing networks but emphasized that operational specifics must not be made public for security reasons.
He stated that multiple arrests and convictions had taken place in connection with ransom payments and terrorism funding and that asset recoveries and seizures are part of Nigeria’s compliance with international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards.
According to Laka, the country’s recent achievement in achieving the Financial Action Task Force requirements can be attributed in part to coordinated investigations by a joint committee comprised of security agencies, financial intelligence units, and the judiciary.
While noting the challenges created by evolving terror tactics and porous borders in the Sahel area, he reassured Nigerians that security agencies would continue to boost physical and digital counter-terrorism operations.
He said, “Towards the end of 2023, the security situation in Nigeria was improving. But after the coups in some Sahel countries, the situation worsened because these terrorist groups have connections across the region.
“So Nigeria has to play a leadership role in West Africa and the Sahel to address these threats. As long as those countries continue to face these challenges, Nigeria will also face them. We are doing our best, and we will not relent. In 2026, we are going to up our game.”
Criminal gangs are increasingly using social media to propagate propaganda, highlight illicit actions, and connect with their networks.
The termination of these accounts comes after repeated requests for platforms hosting content that promotes or supports such activities to take them down.
