The Digital Ransom: How Terrorists Are Hijacking PoS Systems and Social Media
ABUJA, NIGERIA – The battle against insurgency in Nigeria has moved into the digital and fintech space. Speaking at the 2025 end-of-year press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Major General Adamu Laka, the Director General of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), revealed that terrorists have pivoted to using PoS accounts as their primary “banks” for ransom collection.
The PoS Loophole
According to Major General Laka, kidnappers and terror groups are increasingly abandoning traditional cash drops in favor of PoS transactions.
- The Tactic: Kidnappers provide families of victims with specific PoS account numbers to pay ransoms. Because these accounts are often handled by third-party agents, it creates a “buffer” that makes it extremely difficult for security agencies to track the final destination of the funds.
- Unknowing Accomplices: Many PoS operators become unintentional links in the crime chain. They process these “ransom” transfers and provide cash to the criminals, often without realizing the source of the money.
Social Media as a “Recruitment Hub”
The briefing also highlighted the dangerous role of social platforms in modern insurgency. Major General Laka noted that terror groups are aggressively using social media for:
- Fundraising: Launching discreet crowdfunding campaigns under fake names.
- Propaganda & Recruitment: Spreading radical messages to attract vulnerable youth.
- Encrypted Messaging: Using unverified accounts and ephemeral messaging to stay one step ahead of surveillance.
The Government’s Response
Security agencies are not standing idle. Major General Laka assured Nigerians that the NCTC is:
- Collaborating with Tech Giants: Working directly with social media companies to identify, flag, and shut down accounts linked to extremist activity.
- Tighter Fintech Monitoring: Partnering with financial regulators to close the gaps in PoS registration and transaction monitoring.
- Adapting Strategies: Constantly evolving their intelligence-gathering methods to match the “high-tech” shift of insurgent groups.
The message from the NCTC is clear: while the enemy is changing their tactics, Nigeria’s security architecture is being re-tooled to meet them on every front—physical and digital.
