Crime
Boko Haram’s new video tactics raise national security concerns
Boko Haram’s new video tactics raise national security concerns
By: Zagazola Makama
In an era defined by the rapid evolution of digital technologies, social media has emerged as a powerful tool for public engagement, awareness creation, and communication. However, this same medium has also been weaponised by terror groups such as Boko Haram, particularly its Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’Awati wal-Jihad (JAS) factions, to fuel violent extremism and undermine national security efforts.
Zagazola has been raising alarm following spate of Boko Haram propaganda videos, notably one featuring a youthful and energetic speaker, estimated to be between the ages of 19 and 21, appearing to revive the disbanded rhetoric and style of the late Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. There were also several platforms on TikTok which job is to propagate and recycle old preaching of Muhammad Yusuf, the Founder of Boko Haram and Abubakar Shekau.
The videos, circulated widely on platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, have not only praised the resilience of the jihadist movement but also openly criticised the Nigerian government and its armed forces.
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert monitoring developments in the Lake Chad region, described the development as “a dangerous trend capable of influencing vulnerable minds, inciting hatred against the state, and reinvigorating terrorism recruitment channels, especially among urban sympathizers.”
One of the central figures in the new video wave is allegedly an ardent follower of Bakura Doro, also known as Abu Ummaima, a senior commander of the JAS faction. However, intelligence observers are questioning the credibility and coherence of his message. “It is strange that an alleged JAS loyalist is speaking on behalf of ISWAP, a rival group that has repeatedly clashed with JAS,” a senior security source noted. “It suggests that the speaker may not be a frontline fighter, but rather an urban propagandist exploiting social media to sow confusion and fear.”
This comes amid heightened security tension in Borno State following renewed attacks by ISWAP on military positions and recent civilian killings in Mallam Karamti and Dawashi areas. In contrast, JAS has maintained a relatively lower profile since their last major confrontation with Chadian troops in 2024.
The disturbing development coincides with a broader national conversation on digital regulation and cyber monitoring, particularly as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections. Analysts warn that allowing such inflammatory content to thrive online not only emboldens terror groups but also poses grave implications for national stability, as hostile actors may leverage the content to erode public trust in democratic institutions.
“The fact that terror sympathisers can trend such messages unchecked is a glaring indictment of our current digital response capabilities,” Makama said. “These individuals must be tracked, their platforms dismantled, and the content removed without delay.”
There must be an improved coordination among the Nigerian Police, the Defence Intelligence Agency, and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to map out and neutralize digital terror cells.
We must invest in cutting-edge surveillance and artificial intelligence tools to identify these digital propagandists. They are as dangerous as gunmen in the field. The battlefront has shifted; modern warfare is now fought with both bullets and bandwidth,” Zagazola warned.
He added that Nigerian authorities have in the past succeeded in working with global social media giants to remove extremist content. However, experts say the country must now institutionalise a domestic capability to detect, counter, and neutralise online threats in real time.
The National Orientation Agency and the Ministry of Communications are also being urged to scale up counter-narratives, promote digital literacy among citizens, and provide accurate, timely updates to counteract disinformation.
The time has come for Nigeria to treat the digital domain as an active battlefield one that requires as much vigilance, strategy, and firepower as any other theatre of conflict. The war is no longer only in the forests of Sambisa or the shores of Lake Chad; it is also on the screens of millions.
Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad Region
End
Boko Haram’s new video tactics raise national security concerns
Illicit drug consignment packaged as green tea intercepted at Lagos airport
By:Michael Mike
No fewer than 66 parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, packaged as green tea have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.
According to the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, the seizure made last Thursday was based on credible intelligence received ahead of the arrival of the consignment at the cargo wing of the airport on 11th May.
Babafemi, in the statement issued on Sunday, disclosed that the NDLEA had watch-listed the shipment, and sustained surveillance around it for over three weeks before inviting other stakeholders for a joint examination last Thursday.
He said the Loud consignment weighing 62.2 kilogrammes was concealed inside wraps of green tea that came from Thailand via UAE on an Emirate Airlines flight.
Babafemi said in another operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives last Monday intercepted a consignment of 1,665 kilogrammes skunk, a strain of cannabis, along Lekki-Ajah expressway. Two suspects: Gidado Ayinde and Obanla Oluwafemi were promptly arrested in connection with the seizure.
In Kaduna, operatives of the state command of NDLEA on patrol along Abuja – Kaduna expressway last Tuesday arrested 29-year-old Goodluck Nnaemeka with 612 bottles of codeine-based syrup and 2,970 pills of flunitrazepam. In another operation same day, a 52-year-old wanted drug dealer Kabiru Musa (a.k.a KB) was arrested at Kurmin Mashi. A total of 25.7 kilogrammes skunk was earlier recovered from his base.
While a total of 9 kilogrammes Loud was recovered from the spare tyre compartment of an Audi station wagon car marked AAA 975 XU driven by Atari Israel, 45, along Auchi road, Edo state, two young women: Favour Joy and Joy Igwe were last Tuesday nabbed at Ikpoba hill area of Benin city. Recovered from them include: 106.57 kilogrammes skunk; 1 kilogramme Loud; 800 grammes Colorado and 302 grammes of methamphetamine.
Babafemi said the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA commands equally continued across the country in the past week.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, and Edo commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
Illicit drug consignment packaged as green tea intercepted at Lagos airport
Young man dies after falling into abandoned mining pit in FCT
By: Zagazola Makama
A 27-year-old man, Ismail Ahmed, has died after being trapped in an abandoned mining pit in Pangu Village, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.
Zagazola Makama learnt that the incident happened on Saturday, June 7, during a heavy downpour while Ahmed was washing clothes by a nearby stream.
According to family members, he sought shelter from the rain by entering the old mining hole dug by former gold miners. The soil collapsed due to the heavy rain, trapping him inside.
Community members rescued him and rushed him to Kwali General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The family declined an autopsy and opted for burial according to Islamic rites.
Local residents have been advised to exercise caution and avoid unsafe locations, particularly during the rainy season, to prevent similar tragedies.
Young man dies after falling into abandoned mining pit in FCT
Crime
Troops intercept truck with over 164,000 cartridges in Anambra, arrest suspected IPOB/ESN arms suppliers
Troops intercept truck with over 164,000 cartridges in Anambra, arrest suspected IPOB/ESN arms suppliers
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sector 5 of Operation UDO KA, in a joint operation with operatives of the 63 Brigade and the Department of State Services (DSS), have intercepted a truck loaded with over 164,000 live cartridges allegedly being supplied to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation followed credible intelligence which led to the arrest of a suspected arms courier, Mr Emeka Omenife, along the Asaba–Onitsha expressway on 29 May 2025.
According to the sources, Omenife was immediately handed over to the DSS for interrogation. During questioning, he reportedly confessed to being part of a syndicate involved in transporting ammunition from Ghana to Nigeria for IPOB/ESN operatives.
Following his confession, troops arrested his accomplice, Mr Uchenna Obiora, at the Onitsha–Awka tollgate on 30 May 2025, while he was awaiting delivery of the ammunition.The arrest led to the interception of a truck which had the concealed ammunition.
“Upon interception, the vehicle was moved to Onitsha Cantonment, where a thorough search revealed a total of 164,650 live cartridges hidden in four constructed compartments within the cargo bed of the truck,” a source told Zagazola.
The cartridges, believed to have been purchased from Ghana, had Onitsha as their destination, the source added. Further investigations are ongoing to track down other members of the syndicate and their collaborators.
Zagazola also confirmed from security sources that Omenife had earlier been arrested by troops and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) tracking team on Jan. 22 at his residence in Onitsha Housing Estate.
During the January operation, he attempted to flee and was shot in the buttocks before being evacuated to the 302 Army Regiment Medical Services for treatment. He was later handed over to the Anambra State Police Criminal Investigation Department, Annex Akwuzu, for prosecution. His re-arrest in May suggests that he may have returned to the same criminal enterprise following his release in an unexplained circumstances.
Troops intercept truck with over 164,000 cartridges in Anambra, arrest suspected IPOB/ESN arms suppliers
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