Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre have warned that terrorist groups are increasingly exploiting artificial intelligence, social media, cryptocurrencies and other emerging technologies to recruit members, finance activities 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 detecting and disrupting terrorists’ exploitation of information and communication technologies and emerging technologies.
Ribadu, who was represented by the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Major General Adamu Laka, said terrorist organisations were using digital platforms to spread propaganda, radicalise potential recruits, raise funds and coordinate cross-border operations.
He warned that the growing use of artificial intelligence, drones and virtual assets had introduced additional challenges for Nigeria and other countries battling terrorism in the region.
“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,” Ribadu said.
He stressed the need for security agencies to strengthen their capacity to anticipate, detect, analyse and disrupt emerging threats before they materialise.
According to the NSA, tackling technology-enabled terrorism requires more than acquiring sophisticated equipment. He said governments must invest in technical expertise, strengthen relevant institutions and improve cooperation among security agencies.
Ribadu also called for increased cross-border intelligence sharing and the timely exchange of actionable cyber threat information among countries in West Africa and the Sahel.
“Nigeria recognises that no institution, country or sector can defeat terrorism alone,” he said.
Nigeria Seeks Regional Counterterrorism Centre Status
Ribadu disclosed that Nigeria was working with the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre to secure accreditation for the National Counter Terrorism Centre as a regional centre of excellence for counterterrorism in West Africa and the Sahel.
He said the initiative followed President Bola Tinubu’s declaration at the High-Level Africa Counterterrorism Summit held in April 2024.
The proposed designation is intended to strengthen regional counterterrorism cooperation and support the development of specialised capabilities to address evolving security threats.
ISWAP, Boko Haram and JNIM Exploiting Digital Platforms — AU
Also speaking at the conference, the Acting Director of the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre, Idriss Lalalli, warned that terrorist organisations, including the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Boko Haram and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), were expanding their activities through digital technologies.
Lalalli said the groups were exploiting social media for recruitment, using mobile money, gift cards and cryptocurrencies to move or conceal funds, and accessing digital channels to facilitate communication and operations.
He added that terrorist organisations were using darknet marketplaces to procure weapons, satellite communications to operate beyond the reach of some monitoring systems, and drones to extend their operational capabilities across borders.
According to him, artificial intelligence was also being exploited to tailor propaganda and evade detection.
Lalalli said the speed and relatively low cost of digital tools had made it possible for terrorist cells to reach audiences far beyond their physical locations and move more quickly than security agencies could respond.
“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,” he said.
He added that the capacity to counter these threats remained limited and unevenly distributed among African Union member states.
AU Calls for Cyber Intelligence Training, Stronger Partnerships
The AU official said the capacity gap could be addressed through specialised training, improved regional coordination and stronger collaboration with private-sector operators.
He explained that the three-day programme would equip participants with practical skills in cyber threat intelligence, open-source intelligence, digital forensics and blockchain analysis.
These skills, he said, would help security personnel identify online recruitment networks, preserve digital evidence and trace cryptocurrency transactions linked to suspected terrorist financing.
Lalalli stressed that the different areas of expertise must work together to support investigations and prosecutions.
He also called for stronger partnerships with social media companies, telecommunications operators and financial service providers, noting that much of the digital infrastructure exploited by terrorist groups was privately owned.
Addressing participants, he urged them to apply their training and share their expertise with colleagues and institutions across the region.
“You leave as this continent’s first cohort of trainers in this domain. You will leave here not just carrying home a certificate, but a responsibility,” Lalalli said.
He assured participants that the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre would support their efforts, describing them as essential to expanding regional capacity to detect and disrupt technology-enabled terrorism.
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 (ECOWAS), the Multinational Joint Task Force, regional intelligence structures and international organisations.
The conference underscored the growing importance of digital investigations, intelligence sharing and cooperation between governments and technology companies in addressing terrorist financing, online radicalisation and the use of emerging technologies for attacks.