Terrorist groups operating in northern Nigeria and across the wider West Africa and Sahel region are adopting commercial drones, encrypted communications and cryptocurrencies, which signals a dangerous evolution in insurgent capabilities that could complicate Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts, according to the United Nations(UN).
The warning was delivered by Leonardo Simão, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel and head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), during a briefing to the UN Security Council while presenting the Secretary-General’s latest report covering developments between November 29, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
The assessment reflects a growing shift to insurgency in Nigeria, where extremist groups are leveraging technologies that were originally developed for civilian and commercial use.
Unlike expensive military unmanned aerial vehicles, commercial quadcopters costing only hundreds or a few thousand dollars can be modified for battlefield reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence gathering and, increasingly, offensive operations.
Multiple security reports published this year indicate that ISWAP has expanded its drone fleet, with intelligence suggesting the group acquired dozens of quadcopters through smuggling networks around the Lake Chad Basin.
Nigerian troops have also reported recovering armed drones during military operations in Borno and Yobe states.
Drones enable insurgents to monitor troop movements, identify vulnerable military positions, direct ambushes and conduct aerial surveillance without exposing fighters to immediate danger.
The UN also highlighted cryptocurrencies as an emerging concern because while authorities have long tracked terrorist financing through cash couriers, kidnapping ransoms, illegal taxation and cross-border smuggling, digital assets could make financial flows harder to trace if used effectively.
Cryptocurrencies allow transfers across borders without relying on traditional banking systems, potentially enabling supporters abroad to move funds more discreetly than conventional financial channels.
The UN did not disclose the scale of cryptocurrency usage by terrorist organisations in Nigeria but warned that its growing adoption forms part of a broader technological evolution among extremist groups.
Most major blockchain networks create permanent public transaction records, and sophisticated blockchain analytics have enabled authorities worldwide to identify and disrupt illicit financing networks.
Criminal groups often attempt to obscure transactions through additional methods, but these carry varying degrees of effectiveness and risk.
The UN warning also referenced sophisticated communications technologies, which follow several operations by Nigerian security forces aimed at disrupting insurgent communications infrastructure.
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