The Federal Government has revealed that Nigerian security agencies are working closely with major social media platforms to identify and remove accounts used by terrorist and criminal groups to promote activities and raise funds
Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, Director-General of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, made the disclosure on Tuesday during an end-of-year briefing in Abuja.
Laka said platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and X have been exploited by terrorist groups to publicize operations, display looted items, and communicate with supporters. Security agencies have engaged repeatedly with these companies to address posts and accounts deemed threats 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 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 we take them down,” he said.
Laka recalled that bandits previously posted videos on TikTok showing stolen goods and even conducted live streams to communicate with followers, but these accounts have since been removed.
He noted that terrorist groups constantly adapt, using aliases and unverified accounts, and said security agencies continually adjust strategies to counter these evolving threats.
Ransom payments remain a significant source of terror financing, Laka added, with kidnappers increasingly using point-of-sale (POS) operators to transfer funds, complicating financial tracking.
“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 explained.
The counter-terrorism chief said authorities have intensified efforts to trace ransom payments, arrest perpetrators, and dismantle terror financing networks, while noting that operational details are withheld for security reasons. Several arrests, prosecutions, and asset recoveries have strengthened Nigeria’s compliance with international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards.
Laka highlighted that coordinated investigations involving security agencies, financial intelligence units, and the judiciary contributed to Nigeria’s recent progress in meeting Financial Action Task Force requirements.
Acknowledging challenges from evolving terrorist tactics and porous borders in the Sahel, he reassured Nigerians that both physical and digital counter-terrorism measures are being reinforced.
“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,” Laka said.
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