by Mohammed Bello Doka
9 June, 2026.
On a quiet evening in early June 2026, thousands of Nigerians scrolled through TikTok only to stumble upon a live stream that stopped them cold. A masked man, flanked by armed associates and piles of cash, was laughing and spraying money into the camera. He called himself a celebrity bandit. He openly admitted the money came from ransom payments. Then he asked viewers to drop their bank account numbers. And incredibly, people did. Within minutes, accounts were credited. The live stream continued for hours. No interruption. No arrest. No trace.
This was not a one-off event. These broadcasts have become disturbingly regular. Bandits from the forests of Zamfara, Katsina, and Kaduna now command the same digital presence as any mainstream influencer. They go live. They engage viewers. They give away money stolen from kidnapped victims. And the entire time, the Nigerian government watches. Or pretends it cannot see.
Then comes the case that should shock every Nigerian into demanding answers. The abduction of two elderly citizens from Kebbi State was not a quiet crime done in the shadows. It was announced on Facebook live. The bandits took the platform, stared into their cameras, and told the world they had seized these vulnerable citizens. They used Facebook the same way a news anchor would use a studio. And Facebook did nothing. TikTok did nothing. And the government of Nigeria did absolutely nothing.
Let that sink in. Criminal organizations are now using American social media platforms as their official press outlets. They announce kidnappings. They broadcast ransom demands. They spray stolen cash to recruit desperate youth. And the government has not fined these companies. Has not shut down their operations. Has not demanded compliance with Nigerian laws. Has not even issued a serious threat of consequences. Why?
Where are the fines for TikTok? Where is the suspension of Facebook's operating license for facilitating criminal activity? The same government that banned Twitter over a single deleted tweet from a former president cannot summon the courage to hold TikTok or Facebook accountable for hosting live streams of armed banditry and kidnapping announcements. The double standard is so glaring it insults the intelligence of every Nigerian.
TikTok has community standards. The company proudly publishes them. No violent extremism. No criminal activity. No glorification of kidnapping or hostage-taking. These are their own rules. Yet bandits have violated every single one of them for hours on end, across multiple live sessions, without any visible enforcement. Either TikTok is incapable of enforcing its own standards on Nigerian content, or the company simply does not care. Either way, where is the government?
The Nigerian Communications Commission has the power to fine and sanction tech companies. The National Information Technology Development Agency has regulatory authority. The National Broadcasting Commission has extended its reach to online platforms. These agencies exist precisely to prevent what we are now watching in real time. But they have been silent. Not a single press release. Not a single threat of sanction. Not a single public query sent to TikTok or Meta. Why?
Ask the uncomfortable question. Is it because these companies pay taxes? Is it because the government fears their economic power more than it fears armed bandits? Or is there a deeper reason why the state will shut down a Twitter account but will not demand that Facebook remove a kidnapping announcement broadcast live from a forest in Kebbi?
Let us return to the financial question. How do illiterate bandits who cannot write a letter in Hausa operate verified bank accounts, maintain active social media handles, and stream live for hours without detection? The answer is either gross incompetence or deliberate complicity. Neither is acceptable. The accounts are real. They are linked to BVNs and NINs. So whose identities are attached? Why has no bank been publicly sanctioned for hosting accounts tied to known criminals? Why has no fintech CEO been summoned for questioning?
The Northern economy is collapsing under the weight of this silence. Farmers have abandoned their lands. Markets in Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kaduna operate in fear. Transportation costs have skyrocketed as goods avoid bandit highways. Inflation eats every wage. And through it all, the bandits live-stream cash giveaways from the forest as if they are running a charity. The government wants you to believe they are helpless. But helplessness is a choice.
When the government wanted to end the #EndSARS protests, they found activists within hours. When they wanted to track journalists, they obtained call data records with ease. When they wanted to ban Twitter, they issued a directive within days. The technology exists. The legal framework exists. The only missing ingredient is political will. And that missing ingredient points to one uncomfortable conclusion: complicity.
Consider the questions the government refuses to answer.
Why has no social media company been fined for hosting live streams of criminal activity on Nigerian soil?
What happened to TikTok's community standards regarding violent extremism when bandits spray cash and announce kidnappings?
How many reports did Nigerian authorities send to TikTok and Facebook about these live streams, and what responses did they receive?
Has the government formally requested user data, IP addresses, and account registration details from these companies? If yes, what was the response? If no, why not?
Why is there no public record of any meeting between Nigerian regulators and TikTok or Meta regarding the use of their platforms by bandits?
If a journalist can be arrested for a Facebook post, why can a bandit not be traced for a Facebook live announcement of a kidnapping?
Who owns the bank accounts receiving money during these live giveaways, and why have those accounts not been frozen?
The silence is not neutral. Every minute a bandit streams freely on TikTok, every hour a kidnapping announcement remains on Facebook, the government communicates the same message to every criminal in the country: you have nothing to fear. And to every young person watching, the message is equally clear: crime pays, honesty is foolish, and the government is either too weak or too willing to stop you.
This is not about technology. It is about will. And until the Nigerian government shows the same energy for tracking bandits that it shows for tracking protesters, no northerner should believe they are safe. The forests are no longer the only hiding places. Now the bandits hide in plain sight, on the world's biggest platforms, with the government's silent permission.
Bandits going live on TikTok to spray cash. Abductions announced on Facebook live. No fines. No sanctions. No arrests. Watch closely. That is not helplessness. That is a choice.
Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]
Abuja Network News
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Opinion