A senior security analyst and fellow at the Extremism Policy Unit of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Bulama Bukarti, has raised alarm over Boko Haram’s growing digital footprint on social media, especially on TikTok, where the terrorist group now disseminates its propaganda.
Bukarti, who appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, revealed that Boko Haram insurgents have begun hosting live shows and posting videos to promote extremist ideologies online.
His warning comes just a week after Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) disclosed that Borno State had lost 100 soldiers and 280 civilians to Boko Haram attacks in just six months—highlighting the persistent threat of terrorism in Nigeria.
“Right now, when you go on TikTok, you will see Boko Haram members’ accounts. They host live programmes and live shows where they propagate Boko Haram’s ideology; They justify the group’s violence, which they do in the Hausa language. They field questions from the audience and answer comments that are written,” Bukarti said.
“Even this week, there was a Boko Haram member who posted a 10-minute video on TikTok attacking me for speaking up against the escalating violence of the group. But it’s not just that. We know that Boko Haram now operates unmanned drones. They surveil military formations in the northeast with unmanned drones.”
He also disclosed that within the last three months, the insurgents have carried out over seven coordinated attacks on Nigerian military super camps, particularly in areas like Sabon Gari.
“What we have seen over the past three months was over seven Boko Haram attacks on super camps, on Nigerian military super camps. In Sabon Gari and lots of other places, they overran the camps. They dispersed the military, killed some, captured others and stole weapons, food, medicine and other equipment from those areas and fled into the bush,” Bukarti added.
This latest development underscores growing concerns among security experts about how terrorist groups are exploiting digital platforms and modern warfare tools like drones to escalate their campaign of violence across Northern Nigeria.