Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Senate on Thursday, June 11, 2026, directed security agencies to immediately intensify surveillance and arrest bandits and terrorists who openly flaunt their criminal activities and illicit wealth on social media, following a report that suspected criminals distributed over ₦100 million in just 30 minutes on TikTok. The directive was part of a broader motion on the escalating insecurity in Kogi West Senatorial District and other parts of the country, sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West).
During plenary, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) raised a specific alarm about the brazen online activities of criminal groups. “Two days ago on TikTok, bandits conducted a giveaway, distributing over ₦100 million in 30 minutes through their handles, especially TikTok,” she told the chamber, questioning why security agencies had failed to act despite the criminals operating openly with identifiable digital footprints. Her prayer for the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre and other relevant agencies to track and arrest these individuals was seconded by Senator Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West) and adopted.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio described the trend as a direct challenge to state authority and a dangerous show of impunity. “The Department of State Services should be able to track their movements and arrest them because this is a show of impunity, as if there is no law at all,” he said. Akpabio warned that the online display of cash and criminal exploits undermines public confidence in government institutions, and urged security agencies to treat the matter as a national security priority. He also demanded accountability, stating that once such criminals are apprehended, the public must be informed to show that justice is being served.
The Senate further urged the Federal Executive Council and the Central Bank of Nigeria to tighten cashless policies to disrupt ransom-based kidnapping financing, and called for the Department of State Services (DSS) Cybercrime Unit to specifically target and arrest bandits displaying ransom proceeds on social media.
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