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The Federal Government has warned that terrorists are increasingly using innovative methods, including Point of Sale (PoS) systems, to evade detection while carrying out criminal activities.
Major-General Adamu Laka, Director-General of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), disclosed this during the Centre’s 2025 end-of-year press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, December 23.
He revealed that Nigerian security agencies are collaborating with major social media companies to identify and take down accounts used by terrorists and criminal groups to promote their activities and raise funds.
Laka lamented that ransom payments remain a significant source of terror financing, with PoS 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 explained.
He added that security agencies have intensified efforts to track ransom payments, apprehend those involved, and disrupt terror financing networks, noting that operational details cannot be disclosed for security reasons. Several arrests and prosecutions related to ransom payments and terrorism financing have already been carried out.
Laka also highlighted that asset recoveries and seizures form part of Nigeria’s compliance with international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards.
The NCTC chief listed TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and X as platforms exploited by terrorists to publicize operations, display looted items, and communicate with supporters. “These platforms are businesses and are interested in growing their user base, but we engage them, explain the implications of certain posts on national security, and have them taken down,” he said.
He further noted that terrorist tactics continue to evolve, including the use of aliases and unverified accounts, and emphasized that security agencies are constantly adapting to counter these threats.
