The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre have raised the alarm over the rising use of social media, cryptocurrencies and rising applied sciences by terrorist teams to recruit members, finance operations and coordinate assaults throughout West Africa and the Sahel.
They gave the warning in Abuja on Tuesday at a three-day regional coaching convention on detecting and disrupting terrorists’ exploitation of data and communication applied sciences and rising applied sciences.
The Acting Director of the AU Counter-Terrorism Centre, Idriss Lalalli, mentioned terrorist organisations, together with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Boko Haram and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), had been more and more leveraging digital platforms to develop their operations.
He mentioned, “Across West Africa and the Sahel at this time, ISWAP, Boko Haram and JNIM are extending their attain by expertise. They recruit on social media platforms, transfer and conceal funds through cellular cash, present playing cards and cryptocurrencies.
“They buy weapons on darknet marketplaces, communicate over satellite links beyond our networks, and fly drones across borders, using artificial intelligence to tailor propaganda and evade detection.”
Lalalli warned that the pace, accessibility and comparatively low price of digital applied sciences had enabled terrorist teams to achieve wider audiences and function sooner than safety companies may reply.
“What makes this difficult is speed and cost. A cell with a modest budget can now reach audiences far beyond its physical presence and move faster than our procedures can respond. The capability to counter it remains thinly and unevenly distributed across our Member States,” he mentioned.
He, nevertheless, mentioned the capability hole might be addressed by specialised coaching, regional cooperation and stronger partnerships with private-sector operators.
According to him, the convention would equip contributors with expertise in cyber risk intelligence, open-source intelligence, digital forensics and blockchain evaluation to assist them monitor on-line recruitment networks, protect digital proof and hint cryptocurrency transactions.
He harassed the necessity to combine the completely different areas of coaching to strengthen investigations and help the prosecution of terrorism-related offences.
The AU official additionally known as for stronger collaboration with social media corporations, telecommunications operators and monetary service suppliers, noting that a lot of the infrastructure exploited by terrorist teams was privately owned.
In his remarks, Ribadu, who was represented by the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Maj-Gen. Adamu Laka, mentioned terrorist teams had been exploiting digital platforms to unfold propaganda, radicalise potential recruits, elevate funds and coordinate cross-border operations.
He warned that the rising use of synthetic intelligence, drones and digital belongings had launched further complexities into the safety challenges confronting Nigeria and different nations within the area.
“Emerging technologies add further complexity: Artificial Intelligence can rapidly produce personalised content; drones and autonomous systems can expand operational capabilities; and virtual assets can create new financing channels. We must therefore strengthen our ability to anticipate, detect, analyse and disrupt threats before they materialise,” he mentioned.
The NSA mentioned counterterrorism efforts required greater than the acquisition of refined gear, stressing the necessity to construct technical experience, strengthen establishments and enhance cooperation amongst safety companies.
He additionally known as for elevated cross-border intelligence sharing and the well timed trade of actionable cyber risk data amongst nations in West Africa and the Sahel.
“Nigeria recognises that no institution, country or sector can defeat terrorism alone,” he mentioned.
Ribadu additional disclosed that Nigeria was working with the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre to safe accreditation for the National Counter Terrorism Centre as a regional centre of excellence for counterterrorism in West Africa and the Sahel.
He mentioned the initiative adopted President Bola Tinubu’s declaration on the High-Level Africa Counterterrorism Summit held in April 2024.
The three-day convention introduced collectively contributors from West Africa and the Sahel, alongside representatives of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, the Multinational Joint Task Force, regional intelligence buildings and worldwide organisations.
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