Connect with us

Breaking News

Nigerian security agencies are Taking Down Their Social Media Accounts – FG On Terrorists

Published

on

The Federal Government has revealed that Nigerian security agencies are collaborating with major social media companies to track and remove accounts used by terrorist and criminal groups to promote their activities and raise funds.

The Director-General of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking at an end-of-year briefing in Abuja.

He said platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and X have been exploited by terrorist groups to publicise their operations, display looted items and communicate with supporters.

According to Laka, security agencies have held multiple engagements with social media companies to address posts and accounts considered 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 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 we take them down.

“There was a time when bandits would go on TikTok showing their loot. We took those accounts down you don’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 said.

He explained that terrorist groups continue to change their methods, including operating under aliases and unverified accounts, stressing that security agencies are constantly adjusting their strategies to counter these developments.

Laka also identified ransom payments as a major source of terror financing, noting that point-of-sale (POS) operators are increasingly being used to move such funds.

He said ransom payments are often transferred into accounts belonging to POS operators, who then release the cash to kidnappers, making financial tracking 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 agencies have intensified efforts to trace ransom payments, arrest those involved and dismantle terror financing networks, although he noted that specific operational details could not be disclosed for security reasons.

He added that several arrests and prosecutions have been carried out in connection with ransom payments and terrorism financing, with asset recoveries and seizures contributing to Nigeria’s compliance with international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards.

According to him, Nigeria’s recent progress in meeting the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force was partly achieved through coordinated investigations by a joint committee involving security agencies, financial intelligence units and the judiciary.

While acknowledging the challenges posed by evolving terrorist tactics and porous borders within the Sahel region, Laka assured Nigerians that security agencies would continue to strengthen both physical and digital counter-terrorism measures.

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.”

Read The Full Story / Watch The Full Video

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Breaking News

POLITICS: Wike-led PDP Faction Takes Over Party Secretariat In Oyo

Published

on

Members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, have taken over the secretariat of the party in Oyo State.

The secretariat, located in the Molete area of Ibadan, was in the custody of the faction loyal to Governor Seyi Makinde of the state until Thursday when the members loyal to Wike took over the premises.

DAILY POST gathered that the PDP members stormed the secretariat on Thursday and occupied the premises with hundreds of members of the party in attendance.

PDP chairman in the state, Professor Abdulrahman Akinoso, confirmed the development to DAILY POST.

Akinoso in a telephone conversation with DAILY POST on Thursday, insisted that the real owners have taken over the premises.

He said, “It is true. It is not faction. It is PDP. We have taken over the premises. It was in the morning. We were there in the morning. We just left the premises. We are now in control. We have taken over the premises.” .…For more, Complete your reading.

Read The Full Story / Watch The Full Video

Continue Reading

Breaking News

POLITICS: Foreign Recognition Won’t Secure Re-election – ADC Tells Tinubu

Published

on

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has told President Bola Tinubu that foreign recognition will not secure him another term in office, insisting that Nigerians will judge his administration by its performance, not by diplomatic gestures from other world leaders.

In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party reacted to the Presidency’s celebration of a purported letter from United States President Donald Trump to Tinubu.

The ADC said presenting the letter as an endorsement of Tinubu’s administration was misleading, stressing that diplomatic correspondence between world leaders is a normal part of international relations.

“The Presidency’s attempt to present President Donald Trump’s letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as though it were a referendum on the state of the nation is not correct,” the party said.

According to the ADC, countries cooperate, leaders exchange views and letters regularly, adding that such communication does not amount to an endorsement of a government’s performance.

The party accused the Tinubu administration of being desperate for international validation instead of focusing on solving Nigeria’s challenges.

“It is apparent that this administration is desperate to seize upon any gesture of international recognition as proof of success at home,” the statement said.

The ADC maintained that “a letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people.”

It added that the true measure of any government is not what foreign leaders say about it, but what citizens experience daily.

The opposition party argued that Trump’s letter had not changed the reality facing millions of Nigerians, especially those affected by insecurity.

“For the millions of Nigerians still living with the consequences of this government’s failures, President Trump’s communication changes nothing. It did not say that insecurity has been overcome or that Nigerians can once again travel freely, farm safely and sleep without fear,” the party stated.

The ADC also pointed to the continued captivity of hundreds of women and children in parts of Borno State and Kaiama in Kwara State, while many communities in Benue and other parts of the country still live in constant fear because of insecurity.

The party further noted that, despite the Presidency’s celebration of the letter, the United States Department of State has not changed its travel advisory for Nigeria.

According to the ADC, several Nigerian states remain under Level 3 and Level 4 travel advisories, with American citizens still being urged to reconsider or avoid travel because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and civil unrest.

“We therefore wonder how correspondence from a government that designates several Nigerian states as ‘Do Not Travel’ areas can be regarded as an endorsement,” the party said.

It argued that the travel advisory shows the international assessment of Nigeria’s security situation remains different from the image the Presidency is trying to project.

The ADC said Nigerians are more concerned about their safety than diplomatic exchanges between presidents.

“The daily reality of Nigerians is shaped not by diplomatic correspondence, but by the guarantee that they can go about their lives without falling victim to violent crime or terrorism,” it said.

The party stressed that Trump’s letter was simply communication between two presidents and “does not amount to an endorsement of this government’s overall performance.”

It urged the Tinubu administration to focus less on celebrating diplomatic courtesies and more on delivering measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.

“Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals. They will judge it by whether .…For more, Complete your reading.

Read The Full Story / Watch The Full Video

Continue Reading

Trending