The Senate on Thursday urged security agencies to urgently intensify surveillance and enforcement operations against bandits and terrorist groups who openly display their activities and proceeds of crime on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, in what lawmakers described as a dangerous escalation of online criminal bravado.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West), who raised concerns over increasing bandit attacks and terrorist incursions in Kogi West and other parts of the country, amid worsening insecurity across multiple regions.
During the debate, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) introduced an additional prayer calling for coordinated action by the Nigerian Police Force National Cybercrime Centre and other security agencies to track, monitor, and arrest individuals using digital platforms to publicise criminal activities.
Akpoti-Uduaghan warned that armed groups were no longer operating in secrecy but were now leveraging social media to flaunt wealth, influence, and in some cases, carry out online “giveaways” allegedly funded through criminal proceeds.
She told the Senate that some groups had recently conducted large cash distributions online, claiming that over ₦100 million was shared within minutes via social media channels.
She questioned the failure of security agencies to track such openly visible digital activities, insisting that cybercrime units should be able to trace and apprehend those behind them.
The additional prayer was seconded by Senator Osita Ngwu (Enugu West) and gained broad support across party lines, reflecting growing concern in the chamber over the intersection of insecurity and digital exposure by criminal networks.
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Senate President Godswill Akpabio, responding to the motion, described the development as a direct challenge to state authority and a worrying display of impunity by criminal elements.
He said the circulation of videos showing cash displays and criminal activity was an attempt to undermine government institutions and ridicule national security agencies.
Akpabio called for stronger intelligence coordination, urging security agencies including the Department of State Services to treat the matter as an urgent national security priority.
He further stressed the need for real-time monitoring of online platforms and swift response to digital intelligence, warning that failure to act would embolden criminal networks.
The Senate also called for improved accountability, insisting that arrests and prosecutions linked to such online activities should be made public to restore confidence in the country’s security system.