Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre have warned that terrorist groups are increasingly exploiting social media, cryptocurrency and other emerging technologies to recruit members, finance operations and coordinate attacks across West Africa and the Sahel.

The warning was issued in Abuja on Tuesday during a three-day regional training conference focused on identifying and disrupting terrorists’ use of information and communication technologies.

The Acting Director of the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre, Idriss Lalalli, said groups such as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Boko Haram and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) were expanding their reach through digital platforms.

According to him, the groups use social media to recruit followers and rely on mobile money, gift cards and cryptocurrencies to transfer and conceal funds.

He also disclosed that terrorists purchase weapons through darknet marketplaces, communicate using satellite links and deploy drones across borders. Artificial intelligence, he added, is being used to customise propaganda and avoid detection by security agencies.

Lalalli warned that the affordability and speed of digital technologies had made it easier for terrorist cells to reach audiences beyond areas where they operate physically, while moving faster than security agencies can respond.

He, however, noted that the gap in the capacity of countries across the region to counter these threats could be reduced through specialised training, improved regional coordination and stronger partnerships with private-sector organisations.

The training programme is designed to equip participants with skills in cyber threat intelligence, open-source intelligence, digital forensics and blockchain analysis. These tools are expected to help security personnel monitor online recruitment activities, preserve digital evidence and trace cryptocurrency transactions.

Lalalli stressed that the different areas of expertise must be integrated to strengthen investigations and support successful prosecutions.

He also called for closer cooperation with social media companies, telecommunications operators and financial service providers, noting that terrorist groups often exploit privately owned digital and financial infrastructure.

Representing Ribadu at the conference, the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, said terrorist organisations were using digital platforms to spread propaganda, radicalise potential recruits, raise funds and coordinate operations across national borders.

He warned that the growing use of artificial intelligence, drones and virtual assets had introduced additional complications for Nigeria and other countries confronting terrorism.

According to Laka, artificial intelligence can be used to produce targeted propaganda rapidly, while drones and autonomous systems can expand terrorists’ operational capabilities. Virtual assets, he added, provide alternative channels for financing their activities.

He emphasised the need for security agencies to strengthen their ability to anticipate, detect, analyse and disrupt threats before they materialise.

Ribadu also stressed that combating technology-enabled terrorism required more than acquiring sophisticated equipment. He said countries must invest in technical expertise, strengthen institutions and improve cooperation among security agencies.

The National Security Adviser called for increased intelligence sharing across borders and the timely exchange of actionable information on cyber threats among countries in West Africa and the Sahel.

He maintained that no single institution, country or sector could defeat terrorism independently, underscoring the importance of collective action.

Ribadu further disclosed that Nigeria was working with the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre to secure regional-centre-of-excellence accreditation for the National Counter Terrorism Centre, which would strengthen its role in counterterrorism efforts across West Africa and the Sahel.

He said the initiative followed President Bola Tinubu’s declaration at the High-Level Africa Counterterrorism Summit in April 2024.

The three-day conference brought together participants 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 bodies and international organisations.