Security analyst and lawyer, Dr Bulama Bukarti, has urged Nigerians to exercise greater caution when making donations online, warning that terrorist groups are increasingly exploiting social media platforms and international money transfer services to raise and move funds.
Bukarti gave the warning on Tuesday during an interview with Channels Television, where he said unsuspecting Nigerians could unknowingly contribute to terrorism financing by responding to fraudulent humanitarian and educational appeals circulated online.
According to him, findings by the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) revealed that individuals operating from outside Nigeria were using social media platforms, including Telegram and Instagram, to solicit donations under seemingly legitimate humanitarian or educational causes.
He said the funds were subsequently moved through a complex network designed to conceal their origin and eventual beneficiaries.
“They collect donations ranging from $50 to $500 into a master account before breaking the money into smaller amounts and sending it to different recipients in Nigeria through international remittance services,” Bukarti said.
He explained that the fragmentation of the funds was intended to circumvent Nigeria’s tightening financial regulations and make it more difficult for authorities and financial institutions to identify suspicious transactions.
“These people are doing all of this in order to evade Nigeria’s tightening financial regulations,” he added.
Bukarti, however, stressed that his warning should not be interpreted as a call for Nigerians to stop supporting legitimate humanitarian and educational initiatives.
Rather, he advised potential donors to conduct proper checks before transferring money to individuals or organisations, particularly when appeals are circulated through social media.
“We need stronger measures to prevent terrorism financing, including a better link between BVNs and SIM cards,” he said.
The analyst noted that some bank accounts, including those belonging to deceased persons or operated by third parties, had allegedly been exploited to facilitate the movement of funds connected to terrorist activities.
He said strengthening the connection between banking identities, telephone numbers and other financial records would make it more difficult for criminal networks to conceal the identities of those controlling illicit funds.
Bukarti further stressed the importance of following financial trails in the fight against terrorism, arguing that tracking how money is raised, transferred and ultimately spent could help security agencies identify the individuals and networks behind terrorist operations.
He also advised Nigerians to exercise caution when asked to transport packages or other items on behalf of people they do not know or trust.
According to him, unsuspecting individuals could potentially be used as intermediaries in criminal activities without being fully aware of what they are helping to transport.
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The security analyst also called for prompt investigation and prosecution of suspected offenders by security and law enforcement agencies.
He cautioned against mob action, stressing that allegations of criminality should be properly investigated and handled through lawful procedures.
Bukarti’s warning comes amid growing concerns over the evolving methods used by terrorist and criminal networks to raise and transfer funds.
The NFIU had previously identified crowdfunding, proxy bank accounts, improperly linked telephone numbers and coded transaction descriptions among emerging techniques being used to disguise illicit financial flows.
The development has heightened calls for stronger cooperation between financial institutions, technology companies and security agencies to detect suspicious transactions and disrupt terrorist financing networks.
Bukarti therefore urged Nigerians to remain vigilant while using online platforms and to verify the identity and credibility of individuals or organisations soliciting financial support.
He maintained that legitimate humanitarian causes should continue to receive public support, but warned that donors must ensure their generosity is not exploited to finance criminal or terrorist activities.