The Nigerian Army has warned that terrorist and criminal groups are increasingly exploiting cyberspace to recruit members, raise funds, coordinate attacks and spread propaganda, describing the trend as a growing threat to national security.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, raised the alarm yesterday at the 2026 Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare School Seminar in Abuja.

Meanwhile, a new six-year investigation by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) has revealed that 79,323 persons were killed in terrorism-related violence in Nigeria between 2020 and 2025, while 34,773 civilians were abducted during the period.

Represented by the Deputy Chief of Special Services and Programmes, Maj-Gen. Jeremiah Manjang, the COAS, said cyberspace had evolved into a strategic battlefield where both state and non-state actors operate with unprecedented speed, making security threats more complex and difficult to counter.

He noted that hostile actors no longer require a physical presence to disrupt critical infrastructure, as they can compromise sensitive information, manipulate public opinion, or undermine national security through anonymous cyberattacks.

According to him, terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, separatist agitations, organised crime, misinformation and disinformation are increasingly being enabled, coordinated and amplified through digital platforms and cyber networks.

He called for stronger cyber intelligence capabilities, driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and advanced data analytics, to improve early warning systems, threat detection, and predictive security analysis.

The COAS also advocated deeper collaboration among government institutions, the military, law enforcement agencies, academia and the private sector, stressing that “cyber security can no longer be handled by a single institution”.

However, the Army said troops of the Joint Task Force North West, Operation FansanYamma (OPFY), neutralised many terrorists and disrupted attempted bandit movements during intelligence-led air operations in parts of Niger and Kaduna states.

The Army stated yesterday that the operations, carried out by the Air Component on June 29, dealt a major blow to terrorists and armed bandits by targeting their movements within the Joint Operations Area.

According to the statement, the operation in the Dogon Dawa axis of Shiroro Local Council of Niger State followed credible intelligence, corroborated by human intelligence sources, indicating the convergence of more than 200 suspected terrorists on motorcycles.

The Army said aerial surveillance confirmed the presence of armed terrorists moving in groups before a large concentration of motorcycles was identified at a suspected refuelling point.

According to the statement, “Battle Damage Assessment confirmed that many terrorists were neutralised, while others were observed fleeing with injuries towards the Kurugin Maidawa axis.”

THE findings, entitled ‘Four Times Boko Haram? How the World Misreads Nigeria’s Violence’, were released to the public in Jos yesterday and confirmed in a statement signed by a Senior Research Analyst of ORFA, Mr Frans Vierhout.

According to the report, the scale of the violence averages seven attacks per day” and “an average of 36 people each day.

It added that 79,323 people were killed in Nigeria between 2020 and 2025.

ORFA, which monitors the state of religious freedom, documents rights violations and informs decision-makers through advocacy, stated that researchers “spent years cross-referencing attack patterns — and the data gathered overturns longstanding assumptions.”

The breakdown shows that while 42,033 were civilians; security forces and terror groups make up 37,290 deaths.

The investigation challenges the perception that Boko Haram and Islamic state West Africa Province (ISWAP) are the primary drivers of violence.

“Boko Haram and ISWAP — the terror groups most blamed for violence — together carried out 12 per cent of civilian killings: Boko Haram eight and ISWAP four,” the report stated, adding that :Fulani terror groups killed 44 per cent of all civilians — four times the killing ofBoko Haram andISWAP combined.”