Terrorist groups operating in northern Nigeria and across the wider West Africa and Sahel region are adopting commercial drones, encrypted communications and cryptocurrencies, which signals a dangerous evolution in insurgent capabilities that could complicate Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts, according to the United Nations(UN).
The warning was delivered by Leonardo 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), during a briefing to the UN Security Council while presenting the Secretary-General’s latest report covering developments between November 29, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
The assessment reflects a growing shift to insurgency in Nigeria, where extremist groups are leveraging technologies that were originally developed for civilian and commercial use.
Unlike expensive military unmanned aerial vehicles, commercial quadcopters costing only hundreds or a few thousand dollars can be modified for battlefield reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence gathering and, increasingly, offensive operations.
Multiple security reports published this year indicate that ISWAP has expanded its drone fleet, with intelligence suggesting the group acquired dozens of quadcopters through smuggling networks around the Lake Chad Basin.
