Babagana Monguno, national security adviser (NSA), says terrorist groups are using social media platforms to recruit and radicalise youths.
Earlier in the month, the federal government had suspended Twitter, the microblogging and social networking service, in Nigeria and also asked the house of representatives to enact a law to regulate social and online media in Nigeria.
Speaking at the ongoing United Nations (UN) high-level conference of heads of counter-terrorism agencies of member states in New York, United States, Monguno said the approach adopted by terrorists is to portray the government as incapable of guaranteeing the protection and well-being of its population.
In a statement on Tuesday from the office of the NSA, Monguno noted that it requires international collaboration to effectively deal with the complex nature of terrorism and other transnational organised crimes.
“I can say with total conviction that apart from pandemics, natural disasters and the climate itself, today, the greatest threat to the existence of human race is the global scourge of terrorism,” Monguno said.
“The fallout of activities associated with terrorists have collectively heightened insecurity in the greater part of Africa with serious economic, social and political implications for its people.
“In the North Eastern part of Nigeria, the activities of Boko Haram terrorists and the so called the Islamic State West Africa Province with known affiliation to other international terror networks such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda, have continued to undermine the security and livelihood of the people.
“They are at the same time overlapping into neighbouring countries of the Lake Chad Basin. It was disclosed that over a million persons have been internally displaced in the communities in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, while more than seven million people remain in need of humanitarian assistance in North Eastern Nigeria.”
Monguno stated that the federal government will continue to confront the challenges posed by terrorism by setting up new structures and national institutions, as well as empowering them.
According to him, the federal government has also improved the coordination of humanitarian support for non-governmental organisations by creating the ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development.
