The Nigerian Senate has intensified pressure on security agencies to crack down on bandits using TikTok and other social media platforms to flaunt cash, promote criminal activities and challenge state authority. The call emerged during Senate deliberations on insecurity following a motion presented by Senator Sunday Karimi concerning escalating attacks by bandits and terrorists in […]
The Nigerian Senate has intensified pressure on security agencies to crack down on bandits using TikTok and other social media platforms to flaunt cash, promote criminal activities and challenge state authority.
The call emerged during Senate deliberations on insecurity following a motion presented by Senator Sunday Karimi concerning escalating attacks by bandits and terrorists in Kogi West and other regions.
Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan drew attention to the growing online presence of criminal gangs, alleging that some now conduct public cash giveaways and openly celebrate their activities on social media.
She questioned why agencies responsible for cybercrime investigations had not successfully traced and arrested individuals operating such accounts despite their visible online footprints.
Her proposal urging the National Cybercrime Centre and other security institutions to monitor and apprehend those involved gained widespread support across the Senate.
Reacting to the development, Senate President Godswill Akpabio condemned the trend, describing it as a direct challenge to government authority and the country’s security institutions.
Akpabio called on intelligence agencies, including the DSS and the police, to deploy available technology to identify those behind the accounts, arrest them and keep Nigerians informed about the progress of investigations and prosecutions.