By our reporter 23.12.2025
National Counter Terrorism Centre director general, Adamu Laka has disclosed that the Federal government is making moves to block all social media accounts operated by terror and criminal gangs in the country.
Major-General Laka who was speaking in Abuja Tuesday noted that platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and X had been used by terrorists to publicise operations, display looted items and communicate with supporters.
“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,” Major-General Laka said.
“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.
Laka also said ransom payments remain a major source of terror financing, with point-of-sale operators increasingly exploited to move funds.
“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 said security agencies had intensified efforts to track ransom payments, arrest those involved and disrupt terror financing networks, but stressed that operational details could not be made public for security reasons.
Terror gangs...operating freely in Nigeria.