The Federal Government has raised the alarm over terrorists using various 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 at its Abuja headquarters on Tuesday, December 23.
Laka explained that ransom payments remain a major 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 said. He noted that security agencies have intensified efforts to track ransom payments, arrest perpetrators, and disrupt terror financing networks, while operational details remain confidential for security reasons.
The DG further revealed that several arrests and prosecutions have been made in connection with terrorism financing, adding that asset recoveries and seizures are part of Nigeria’s compliance with international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism standards.
Laka also highlighted the use of social media platforms—including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and X—by terrorists to publicise operations, display looted items, and communicate with supporters. He said security agencies have engaged with these companies to remove posts and accounts that pose national security threats.
“These platforms are businesses and are interested in growing their user base, but we engage them and explain the implications of certain posts on national security, and we take them down,” Laka stated.
He warned that terrorist tactics continue to evolve, including the use of aliases and unverified accounts, and stressed that security agencies are constantly adapting to counter these developments.