Nigeria Warned as Extremist Groups Weaponise Social Media
Boko Haram factions, among several extremist groups, are increasingly turning to TikTok and other social media platforms for propaganda, mocking authorities and posting content linked to kidnappings and violence, a growing concern with digital security in Nigeria.
An online video linked to Boko Haram showed abducted victims, accusing the government of minimising casualty figures before it was removed. It marks a broader shift in terrorism, with groups using algorithm-driven platforms to amplify their messages, recruit followers and normalise extremist narratives, outpacing traditional content moderation, experts say.
Since TikTok's rapid global expansion, researchers and law enforcement agencies have documented how extremist actors exploit the platform's recommendation-driven ecosystem to amplify propaganda and expand their reach. Analysts said that fragmented institutional coordination, lack of real-time monitoring and weak digital governance leave major gaps that extremist actors continue to exploit.
InFocus
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Videos circulating on TikTok are exposing the growing use of child soldiers in Sudan. A TikTok video was published in early December, shortly after rebels from the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) militia captured the southern Sudanese city of Babanusa, apparently with the involvement of child soldiers.
The investigative research network
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The military has said that it has rescued 360 people who were kidnapped by Boko Haram in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, during an operation in the Mandara Mountains.
The victims had reportedly been held in harsh conditions after being abducted from several communities. Two infants "succumbed to exhaustion" due to the harsh environment and the hardship they endured during their prolonged
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More than 50 children, most of them aged between two and five, have been abducted by gunmen from three schools in Mussa, Borno State.
Eyewitnesses who saw the attacks said that the suspects used the children as human shields while fleeing on motorbikes, preventing security forces from opening fire. The kidnappings took place at the town's Government Day Secondary School, Mussa Central Primary School, and
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