Key Takeaways
- • National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre warned at a three-day regional training conference in Abuja that terrorist groups are increasingly using social media, cryptocurrencies and emerging technologies to recruit, conceal funds and coordinate attacks across West Africa and the Sahel.
- • AU Acting Director Idriss Lalalli named ISWAP, Boko Haram and JNIM as groups extending their reach through mobile money, gift cards, cryptocurrencies, darknet weapons purchases, satellite communications and AI-tailored propaganda.
- • Lalalli said the speed and low cost of digital tools let a cell with a modest budget reach audiences far beyond its physical presence, and that counter-capability is "thinly and unevenly distributed" across AU Member States.
- • Officials called for specialised training in cyber threat intelligence, open-source intelligence, digital forensics and blockchain analysis, plus stronger partnerships with social media firms, telecom operators and financial service providers, since much of the exploited infrastructure is privately owned.
- • Nigeria is seeking accreditation for its National Counter Terrorism Centre as a regional centre of excellence for counterterrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, following President Bola Tinubu's April 2024 declaration at the High-Level Africa Counterterrorism Summit.
Summary
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre have warned that terrorist groups are increasingly exploiting social media, cryptocurrencies and emerging technologies to recruit members, conceal funds and coordinate attacks across West Africa and the Sahel, according to Punch Newspapers. The warning was issued in Abuja on a Tuesday at a three-day regional training conference on detecting and disrupting terrorist use of information and communication technologies.
AU Acting Director Idriss Lalalli said Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Boko Haram and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) were expanding activities through digital technologies. He said the groups recruit on social media, move and conceal funds via mobile money, gift cards and cryptocurrencies, buy weapons on darknet marketplaces, communicate over satellite links beyond national networks, and fly drones across borders, using artificial intelligence to tailor propaganda and evade detection. Lalalli warned that the speed and relatively low cost of digital tools allow small cells to reach wide audiences and move faster than security agencies can respond.
Lalalli said the capacity gap could be addressed through specialised training, regional coordination and stronger collaboration with private-sector operators. The programme is designed to build skills in cyber threat intelligence, open-source intelligence, digital forensics and blockchain analysis, to help investigators track online recruitment networks, preserve digital evidence and trace cryptocurrency transactions. He also called for stronger partnerships with social media companies, telecommunications operators and financial service providers.
Speaking on behalf of the NSA, National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre Maj-Gen. Adamu Laka said terrorist groups were using digital platforms to spread propaganda, radicalise recruits, raise funds and coordinate operations across borders. He warned that artificial intelligence, drones and virtual assets added new dimensions to regional security challenges. Ribadu stressed that the response required more than sophisticated equipment, calling for technical expertise, stronger institutions, better inter-agency cooperation and increased cross-border intelligence sharing. "Nigeria recognises that no institution, country or sector can defeat terrorism alone," he said.
Nigeria is working with the AU Counter-Terrorism Centre to secure accreditation for its National Counter Terrorism Centre as a regional centre of excellence for counterterrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, an initiative that follows President Bola Tinubu's declaration at the High-Level Africa Counterterrorism Summit in April 2024. The conference brought together participants from West Africa and the Sahel, along with representatives of the African Union, ECOWAS, the Multinational Joint Task Force, regional intelligence structures and international organisations.
AU Acting Director Idriss Lalalli said Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Boko Haram and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) were expanding activities through digital technologies. He said the groups recruit on social media, move and conceal funds via mobile money, gift cards and cryptocurrencies, buy weapons on darknet marketplaces, communicate over satellite links beyond national networks, and fly drones across borders, using artificial intelligence to tailor propaganda and evade detection. Lalalli warned that the speed and relatively low cost of digital tools allow small cells to reach wide audiences and move faster than security agencies can respond.
Lalalli said the capacity gap could be addressed through specialised training, regional coordination and stronger collaboration with private-sector operators. The programme is designed to build skills in cyber threat intelligence, open-source intelligence, digital forensics and blockchain analysis, to help investigators track online recruitment networks, preserve digital evidence and trace cryptocurrency transactions. He also called for stronger partnerships with social media companies, telecommunications operators and financial service providers.
Speaking on behalf of the NSA, National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre Maj-Gen. Adamu Laka said terrorist groups were using digital platforms to spread propaganda, radicalise recruits, raise funds and coordinate operations across borders. He warned that artificial intelligence, drones and virtual assets added new dimensions to regional security challenges. Ribadu stressed that the response required more than sophisticated equipment, calling for technical expertise, stronger institutions, better inter-agency cooperation and increased cross-border intelligence sharing. "Nigeria recognises that no institution, country or sector can defeat terrorism alone," he said.
Nigeria is working with the AU Counter-Terrorism Centre to secure accreditation for its National Counter Terrorism Centre as a regional centre of excellence for counterterrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, an initiative that follows President Bola Tinubu's declaration at the High-Level Africa Counterterrorism Summit in April 2024. The conference brought together participants from West Africa and the Sahel, along with representatives of the African Union, ECOWAS, the Multinational Joint Task Force, regional intelligence structures and international organisations.
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