- FG is working with Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X and Snapchat to remove terror-linked accounts
- Bandits used social media to show loot, livestream attacks and raise funds
- Security agencies say many dangerous accounts have already been taken down
- Ransom payments through POS operators remain a major challenge
The Federal Government has disclosed that Nigerian security agencies are now actively identifying and deleting social media accounts linked to bandits, kidnappers and terrorist groups operating across the country.
The Director-General of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, revealed this on Tuesday during an end-of-year security briefing held in Abuja.
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According to him, platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and X have been repeatedly used by criminal groups to publicise attacks, display stolen items, communicate with followers and sometimes raise funds.
“If you knew how many accounts we have taken down, you would be shocked,” Laka said.
“We have held several meetings with these social media companies, and we engage them on how certain content threatens national security.”
Laka explained that while social media companies focus on growing users, security agencies now work closely with them to remove content linked to terrorism and criminal activity.
He noted that at one point, bandits openly posted videos on TikTok showing weapons and loot from kidnappings.
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“There was a time bandits would go on TikTok displaying their loot. We took those accounts down. You don’t see that again,” he added.
He also revealed that some criminal groups went as far as livestreaming conversations with supporters before security agencies shut such channels down.
Despite these efforts, Laka warned that terrorists are constantly changing tactics, including using fake names, aliases and unverified accounts to avoid detection.
He further disclosed that ransom payments remain one of the biggest sources of terror financing, with kidnappers increasingly using POS operators to move money.
According to him, many ransom payments are transferred into POS accounts before cash is handed over to criminals, making tracking more difficult.
“You investigate a transfer and discover it belongs to a POS operator. The kidnappers collect the cash from there,” he said.
Laka stated that security agencies have intensified investigations into ransom payments, arrests and prosecutions, as well as asset seizures linked to terror financing.
He added that Nigeria’s recent progress in meeting Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requirements was achieved through joint investigations involving security agencies, financial intelligence units and the judiciary.
While acknowledging the growing threat from terrorist networks operating across the Sahel region, Laka assured Nigerians that both digital and physical counter-terrorism efforts would be strengthened going into 2026.
“We are doing our best, and we will not relent. Next year, we are going to up our game,” he said.
