UN Warns Terrorists in Nigeria Are Using Drones and Cryptocurrency to Strengthen Operations

By ZongoPlus Security Desk | July 20, 2026

The United Nations (UN) has warned that terrorist groups operating in northern Nigeria and across the West African Sahel are becoming increasingly sophisticated, adopting technologies such as drones, encrypted communications, and cryptocurrencies to expand their operations and evade security forces.

The warning was delivered to the UN Security Council by Leonardo Santos 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), while presenting the Secretary-General's latest report on developments in the region.

Terror Groups Adapting Their Tactics

According to Simão, extremist groups remain a serious threat in the central Sahel and northern Nigeria, but they are no longer relying solely on conventional weapons and traditional methods.

Instead, they are increasingly using:

Drones for surveillance and potentially to support attacks.

Advanced and encrypted communication technologies.

Cryptocurrencies to move or store funds outside traditional banking systems.

Cross-border coordination that makes their operations harder to disrupt.

He told the Security Council that these evolving tactics are making terrorist networks more resilient and complicating efforts by governments and security agencies to combat them.

Regional Security Under Pressure

The UN noted that terrorist attacks continue to affect several countries across West Africa and the Sahel, with armed groups exploiting porous borders and weak governance in some areas.

The report also highlighted growing links between terrorist organisations and transnational organised crime, including trafficking networks that provide funding and logistical support for militant activities.

Call for Stronger Cooperation

In response to the evolving threat, the United Nations urged governments in the region to strengthen intelligence-sharing, improve border security, and deepen regional cooperation.

The UN also emphasized the need for countries to enhance their ability to detect and respond to the misuse of emerging technologies, particularly unmanned aerial systems (drones), while improving legal and regulatory frameworks to counter terrorist financing.

Nigeria's Counter-Terrorism Efforts

Nigeria has intensified military operations against Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), particularly in the North-East. Security forces have carried out sustained offensives aimed at disrupting insurgent strongholds, arresting suspected collaborators, and dismantling logistics networks.

Despite these efforts, the UN warned that the adoption of new technologies by terrorist groups presents fresh challenges that require coordinated regional and international responses.