Lawmakers have called for the arrest of bandits spotted displaying wards suspected of cash suspected to be ransom money on social media.
On Thursday, the senate also urged security agencies to quickly intensify enforcement actions against bandits and terrorists who openly showcase their criminal activities and financial proceeds on social media platforms, particularly TikTok.
This comes following growing concerns over the brazenness of criminal networks operating online.
The resolution comes after a motion sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi on the rising wave of terrorist incursions and bandit attacks in Kogi West and other parts of the country, as lawmakers once again considered the worsening security situation across several regions.
Meanwhile, during the debate, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan introduced an additional prayer, urging the Nigerian Police Force National Cybercrime Centre and other relevant security agencies to coordinate efforts to track, monitor, and arrest individuals who use social media platforms to promote criminal activities.
She said, “Bandits and terrorists who carry out these activities live on their social media handles. Two days ago, bandits conducted a giveaway, distributing over ₦100m within the space of 30 minutes through their social media handles, especially TikTok.”
Speaking further, she questioned why such overt digital footprints had not translated into arrests by relevant security agencies, particularly units mandated to track cyber-enabled crimes.
Responding to the development, Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio described the conduct of the suspects as a direct affront to state authority and a troubling display of impunity.
BACKSTORY…
Recall that previous reports indicate that several Nigerians are willingly giving bandits their bank account numbers to receive a cut of illicit ransom money extorted from kidnapping victims across the nation.
Highlighting this trend, business analyst Bolaji Fesomade revealed on his X (formerly Twitter) page that numerous users openly shared their account details during a live TikTok session, begging the criminals to credit them with a portion of the ransom cash.
