Social Media Is A Terrorist Organisation We Must Deal With – Sultan Of Sokoto

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar III, has labelled social media as a “terrorist organisation.”

He shared his thoughts while speaking during the 17th Executive Committee Meeting of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council, held in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Tuesday.

In a video making rounds on social media, the Sultan is seen lamented the role of social media in spreading misinformation and inciting unrest across the country.

“Social media is a terrorist organisation that we must deal with,” he said.

“You cannot come and be doing social media because that is one terrorist organisation.”

“Social media is a terrorist organisation. What they do—somebody will sit down in his comfort zone and formulate stories, and you will discover that it is not true,” the Sultan stated.

It is unclear what informed the Sultan’s choice of words.

Nigerians, however, have condemned the statement.

An X user, Allezamani, criticised the Sultan’s remarks, saying: “Left the real Islamic terrorists killing people in Bauchi and Jos and calling social media a terrorist organization? This can’t be real.”

Left the real Islamic terrorists killing people in Bauchi and Jos and calling social media terrorist organization? This can’t be real

Another user, weighing in on the Sultan’s statement, noted that the use of the term “terrorist” to describe social media was too extreme: “While the term ‘terrorist organisation’ is strong, the underlying message about the dangers of unchecked false information on social media resonates with many.”

While the term ‘terrorist organisation’ is strong, the underlying message about the dangers of unchecked false information on social media resonates with many.

Nigeria, especially the northern region, has been grappling with multiple, overlapping security crises for over a decade, ranging from terrorism to rural banditry, intercommunal violence, and farmer-herder conflicts. The region is now one of the most volatile in West Africa, with profound humanitarian, economic, and social consequences.

Boko Haram, founded in the early 2000s and turned violent by 2009, primarily operates in the Northeast, especially in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states.

The group has been responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, mass abductions.

In 2016, Boko Haram splintered, giving rise to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is now the dominant faction and more structured in its operations.

Both groups engage in attacks on military posts, civilians, aid workers, and IDP camps. They impose taxes, enforce religious law, and disrupt education and health services.

In states like Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, and Niger, the crisis is driven by heavily armed gangs, often referred to as “bandits”.

These groups engage in mass abductions for ransom, especially of schoolchildren, cattle rustling and destruction of farmlands, and village raids, often resulting in massacres and displacement.

Some analysts describe their actions as bordering on terrorism due to the scale of fear and destabilisation.

Across the Middle Belt and North-Central, tensions between nomadic Fulani herders and sedentary farming communities have escalated.

The clashes have taken an increasingly ethnic and religious dimension, contributing to hundreds of deaths and large-scale displacement, particularly in Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa states.

The violence has crippled agriculture, trade, education, and healthcare in many areas.

There are frequent school closures, and education in some regions has collapsed due to insecurity.