Jihadists in Nigeria recruiting fighters on TikTok

Jihadist groups in Nigeria are spreading by using social media to find new recruits and broadcast their campaigns, says RFI on May 25th.

According to reports by new agency AFP which consulted videos accessible to all on social media TikTok, Jihadist groups such as Book haram are increasingly posting videos on the platform, posing with rifles, grenades and stacks of cash.

In April, at least 100 people were killed by attacks of these groups, as the governor of Borno warns the State is losing control of some territories to rebel groups.

The accounts on the Chinese platform, where men – sometimes very young – display weapons and wads of cash, also broadcast live contents in which they preach anti-Western ideology.

These videos are reminiscent of deceased leader Abubakar Shekau’s own in the start of the insurgency, 15 years ago, AFP says.

Nigerians have reported that such TikTok content has also been used by criminal conducting raids on villages and kidnapping for ransom.

As Texas-based Bridgeway Foundation security analyst Bulimia Bukarti points out, social media which were first used by bandits to publicise their wrongdoing are now tools for Jihadists in their war effort.

“Now, Boko Haram members are hosting live TikTok shows – spreading propaganda, justifying their violence and threatening anyone who dares speak against them.”

Bukarti was even threatened by a Boko Haram member for speaking out against the group on social media.

AFP identified 19 accounts in which men dressed as clerics call for violence against the government, in collaboration with accounts that boasted weapons hauls from military operations.

The accounts interact with followers when going live, answering question and sometimes raising money from followers. They also share old footage of Boko Haram ideologues.

Nigeria’s struggle with rebel Islamic group is on the rise, with rival Islamic groups emerging. The conflicts has killed more than 40,000 people soo far, and displaced around 2 million people in Africa’s most populous country.

RFI/AFP.