The former Sector Commander, Operation Safe Haven, General Anthony Atolagbe, Rtd., has raised concerns over the reported use of Starlink by Boko Haram insurgents, saying the development highlights the growing sophistication of terrorist groups and poses new challenges for Nigeria’s security agencies in tracking and disrupting their communications.

Speaking in an interview on ARISE NEWS on Thursday, General Atolagbe said the reported discovery of Starlink equipment in the possession of suspected Boko Haram members suggests the group is adopting advanced communication technologies that are more difficult to intercept using conventional military jamming systems.

“Recently, they arrested some of them and found Starlink with them. That Starlink is to evade regular communication, which can be jammed by our own jammers. So you now find out that when they use such Starlink that are perhaps procured by their masters and distributed to them here, those ones are on an international network that even within the Ukraine-Russia warfare is difficult to intercept.

“So people were asking, ‘Where did Boko Haram get Starlink from?’ And that’s one question also that we need to see how we can disable them from,” he said.

Atolagbe also warned that terrorist groups are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency of their operations, citing reports that AI can be used to identify targets, plan attacks and achieve greater impact with fewer fighters on the battlefield.

“The UN report went further to start talking about how they are using drones and AI. There was a researcher by name Wassim Nasr who wrote a report for France 24, and she stated there that she had interactions with both active ISWAP and Boko Haram fighters, as well as those that have left the theater. In their interactions, they told her how they had taken advantage of using AI to further improve their operations.

“They even went further to find out that in an operation where they usually deploy about 200 terrorists, they could use just 60 people and then use AI to determine where to strike and have maximum effect on the troops they are fighting against,” he cited.

Speaking on the sources of terrorist financing, General Atolagbe said the scale of funding and access to advanced technology suggest that support for the groups extends beyond Nigeria’s borders.

“We should now be thinking about where they are being funded. When you talk about people being funded, certainly we’re talking about something bigger than what we can just imagine. They’re not only in Nigeria; a lot of people have been identified, and we now see a mega kind of sponsorship being carried out by these people. What actually is happening—I just gave you an example with Starlink—they might not even have been procured in Nigeria, but brought in from outside and then distributed to them so that they can use them for communication,” he revealed.

He further stressed that defeating terrorism requires coordinated action by Nigeria, neighbouring countries and international partners to disrupt funding, logistics and supply networks.

“What we find out is that it actually goes beyond what is within the Nigerian enclave alone. We are talking about counter-terror action that is being led by the UN, keyed into by the AU, by ECOWAS, and all the other countries that are finding themselves under this kind of terror situation also have to key in so that everyone can work in collaboration, and then you can find a lasting solution to the problem. Though within Nigeria, we are aware that people have been identified and perhaps certain actions have been taken against them,” he said.

Speaking on efforts to combat terrorism, Atolagbe said authorities are strengthening measures to track financiers, while warning that terrorist groups are increasingly using cryptocurrencies and advanced communications to evade detection.

“So there are several measures that have been taken by these nations, as I will refer to them. Most of these arrangements that they make are also in line with what is being done globally, like tracking of financiers, tracking of funds. Here we have the NFIU that is supposed to know who is sending what to where. But now, we see a situation where they are trying to bypass that by going into crypto. So you now see them using crypto to first of all conceal their money so that it cannot be easily traced.

“But then, we also thank the government that a announcement was made by the President recently that some measures on the control of crypto are going to be put in place so that we can get to know who owns what, what amount of money you are putting in there, and several other things that accompany that.”

Responding to concerns about the pace of counterterrorism efforts, the retired general said intelligence gathering has improved, with support from international partners helping Nigerian forces identify targets more accurately and carry out precision operations against terrorist groups.

“I think the Americans have actually been a force multiplier for us now. Only today, we heard about using some Air Force precision-guided weapons on aircraft to dismantle about 20 ISWAP fighters, and we keep recording this regularly. It’s coming in; it’s not like we used to hear before that some people have just been attacked and maybe we are suffering a number of casualties. The battle is actually being taken to the adversary now, such that every information that is collated is intelligence-handled. A lot of not just the information gathering system that the Nigerian forces have alone—we have those coming from the Americans also supporting this effort and making sure that it’s giving better results in acquiring targets and determining the level of devastation that battle damage assessment level that is supposed to be effected,” he highlighted.

On the evolving nature of warfare, Atolagbe said terrorist groups are constantly adapting their tactics to reduce the effectiveness of military operations. However, he urged security agencies to embrace emerging technologies and lessons from global conflicts to strengthen Nigeria’s counterterrorism capabilities.

“So we say that as the battle evolves, you have to keep tracking and monitor what the adversary is doing and keep upgrading because they are also not sleeping.

“So how do we start bringing some of these ideas, this technology, in such a way that we will be doing things in a way that money will not just be wasted? Can we acquire this know-how and then see how we can employ it here, and then we’ll be able to save money? Within just a space of like one month, Russians and Ukrainians can produce about 100,000 drones at a time. So you see the level at which they are going.”

Speaking on the impact of terrorism on public confidence, Atolagbe said insurgent groups seek to instil fear and pressure governments into making concessions. He, however, maintained that security forces remain in control of most affected areas and expressed confidence that sustained military operations would continue to degrade the capabilities of terrorist groups, even if they are not completely eliminated.

“The only thing is that most of these guys stay in hidden places where they come in to strike and see if they can be able to force government to take actions in some areas. For example, when you capture people for instance, you use them to start negotiating like we experienced in the Abuja-Kaduna train situation.

“Honestly, at the rate at which we are going, I think what we actually look forward to—it may not be a complete wipeout, but then it will be such degrading on their own part that we might just be having breakaways among them coming into places to quickly attack and then run away. As time goes on, we cannot say that there will be a complete erase,” he noted.

Highlighting the role of coercion in terrorist recruitment, General Atolagbe said many individuals associated with insurgent groups were forced into their ranks rather than recruited voluntarily.

“What experience has shown us is that a lot of them are being forced. It’s not like you see people voluntarily wanting to join,” he said.

He added that information obtained from those who surrender through disarmament and reintegration programmes has provided valuable intelligence, although the mobility of insurgent groups continues to complicate military operations.

“Like those who are in the disarmament and reintegration program, you find that a large number of them were just conscripted. They found themselves just within that circle, but when they come out, clearly you see that from their declarations, a lot of information has been gathered from them, which is actually useful to our own troops.”

Atolagbe expressed optimism that ongoing efforts to recruit more forest guards, expand police and military personnel, and increase security deployments would help restore government presence in remote areas and gradually improve security across vulnerable communities.

“From what government is doing: recruiting forest guards, increasing the number of police strength, and in fact giving the military enough space to add more to the number of personnel—I think within a very short time from now, a lot of places will be occupied. It will relieve one team from one area to go to another one.

“Then you now see a situation where, after a while, we’ll be able to say certain areas are getting secured, and then other areas that are yet to be secured—as more and more troops and more forest guards are produced, they keep spreading into those areas,” he stated. (Arise News)