According to Punch, Bulama Bukarti, a security analyst and senior fellow at the Extremism Policy Unit of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, issued a serious warning on Sunday regarding Boko Haram’s increasing presence on major social media platforms, especially TikTok.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Bukarti expressed significant concern about the group’s expanding digital influence, noting that the terrorist organization is now leveraging social media to disseminate its ideology and recruit new followers.
His alarming statement follows Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South’s revelation that the state has suffered the loss of 100 soldiers and 280 civilians in just six months due to Boko Haram attacks.
Ndume’s comments underscored the gravity of the ongoing violence perpetrated by the group in the region.
However, Bukarti’s focus was on the changing nature of the threat—pointing out that Boko Haram is not only physically assaulting communities but also conducting an ideological battle online.
“Currently, if you go on TikTok, you will find accounts belonging to Boko Haram members,” Bukarti stated during the interview.
“They conduct live programs and shows where they promote Boko Haram’s ideology and rationalize the group’s violence, communicating in the Hausa language. They also take questions from the audience and respond to written comments.”
Bukarti pointed out that Boko Haram utilizes TikTok not only to share pre-recorded videos but also to live-stream, allowing them to interact directly with viewers and evade traditional counter-extremism measures.
He provided a personal anecdote, mentioning, “Just this week, a Boko Haram member posted a 10-minute video on TikTok criticizing me for speaking out against the increasing violence of the group.”
In addition to their online propaganda, Bukarti expressed concerns about the group’s advancing tactical capabilities.
He noted that Boko Haram has started using unmanned aerial drones to observe Nigerian military positions in the northeastern part of the country.
This represents a significant enhancement of their operational abilities.
“What we’ve witnessed in the last three months includes over seven attacks by Boko Haram on Nigerian military super camps,” Bukarti remarked.
“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.”
His comments highlight the twofold danger presented by Boko Haram—both in the physical world and online.
As they persist in assaulting military installations and civilian areas, their digital tactics now allow them to connect with and sway larger audiences outside of their usual territories.
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