The Federal Government has launched a campaign against the online activities of criminal networks, announcing on Tuesday, December 23, that it has pinpointed and removed multiple social media accounts operated by bandits and terrorists. Major General Adamu Laka, Director-General of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), stated that sites used to flaunt stolen goods and broadcast live criminal discussions are being dismantled one after the other. There was a time when bandits flaunted their loot on TikTok. We’ve shut those accounts down, you don’t see it anymore. They even went live… but we’ve tackled all that – Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka This is aimed towards addressing the rising pattern of non-state actors, leveraging on social media platforms to boast about attacks, collecting ransom payments, and sometimes for recruitment. For years now, bandits leaders like Bello Turji have turned to platforms like TikTok and Facebook to terrorize vulnerable communities, display ransom money stacks and arsenals to lure new members. Security forces are partnering closely with TikTok, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Snapchat, and X to flag and suspend unverified profiles linked to terror groups. The security forces have been victorious in tracking ransom transactions from Point-of-Sale (POS) operators. Criminals often use POS terminals to receive ransom transfers and withdraw cash, making it more difficult to trace than traditional bank transfers. The NCTC plans to enforce key strategies in dismantling the online activities of criminal groups in 2026, under its new Strategic 2025-2030 plan, which utilizes AI-driven tools and network analysis to foresee and disrupt terror funding at the POS stage. The public is encouraged to flag any social media accounts suspected of promoting banditry or fundraising for crimes.
Nigeria and Google in advanced talks for new subsea cable
The Federal Government of Nigeria is currently in talks with Google Alphabet Inc., to deploy a new undersea fiber-optic cable. This was announced on Tuesday, December 23, marking a transition by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to eliminate a single point of failure in the digital infrastructure of the country.According to NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Nigeria currently relies on subsea cables that follow identical geographic paths to Europe. This concentration makes the $1 trillion digital economy target of Nigeria vulnerable to disruptions if a single cable is damaged.In September 2025, Google unveiled its intention to expand its footprint in Africa by announcing plans for four new infrastructure hubs, cutting across the North, South, East, and West of the continent. These hubs include landing stations and data centers designed to link its newest cables, Equiano and Umoja, to local markets. The new cable will follow a different path than existing links to Europe, in order to provide a backup that will ensure connectivity even if primary cables are damaged.A Google spokesperson confirmed that talks are at an advanced stage, building on Google’s surpassed $1 billion investment pledge for African digital transformation. Nigeria’s current reliance on cables that follow the same path is a ‘single point of failure.’ We want to increase our existing links… to help transform Nigeria into a digital hub – Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, DG of NITDA The new Google cable and its associated infrastructure hubs are to be completed within the next three years. This would lower the cost of wholesale data for local providers like MTN and Airtel, leading to cheaper data plans for consumers. NITDA is also working with the World Bank on a 90,000km terrestrial fiber rollout to ensure this subsea capacity reaches the last mile in rural Nigeria.
Behind The Scenes becomes fastest film to hit ₦500M
Nollywood’s “Detty December” has reached a pitch as Funke Akindele’s Behind The Scenes solidified its status as a box office juggernaut, crossing the ₦500 million mark in record time. According to data released on Tuesday, December 23, the film achieved this milestone in just 12 days, surpassing the previous record for the fastest Nollywood film to reach a half-billion naira.Meanwhile, Toyin Abraham’s “Oversabi Aunty” made a grand entrance, with approximately ₦100 million during its opening weekend. Following closely on December 19, Toyin Abraham released Oversabi Aunty. The comedy-drama focuses on the interference of a well-meaning but meddlesome relative, a theme that resonated with local audiences.Funke Akindele, who currently holds the record for the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time, “Everybody Loves Jenifa” at ₦1.88 billion, released “Behind The Scenes” on December 12. The film explores the “black tax” and the hidden burdens of a successful entrepreneur.Behind The Scenes reached ₦514 million faster than any previous Nollywood title, including Akindele’s own 2024 hit, Everybody Loves Jenifa.Funke Akindele has produced the highest-grossing film of 2025, dethroning the heist thriller Gingerrr, which peaked at ₦509 million.Despite the heavy competition, Toyin Abraham’s Oversabi Aunty secured the number two spot on the charts.
Google delays full switch from Assistant to Gemini on Android
By Oluwatunmise Omoseyin Google has delayed its plan to fully replace Google Assistant with its Gemini AI on Android devices, pushing the transition into 2026. The company had earlier indicated that Gemini would become the default assistant on most Android phones by the end of 2025. However, Google says it needs more time to ensure a smooth and reliable experience for users before completing the switch. Gemini, designed to handle voice commands, app controls and smart home tasks, has already been set as the default assistant on new devices such as the Pixel 9 series. Still, Google Assistant continues to run alongside Gemini on many Android phones. Google explained that replacing Assistant, which has been part of Android for nearly a decade, is more complex than expected. Gemini requires more processing power and memory, and only devices running Android 10 or later with at least 2GB of RAM will be eligible for the upgrade. This means some older and low-end phones, especially in developing markets, may not support Gemini fully. Google said it wants to avoid performance issues that could affect everyday tasks like setting alarms, navigation and voice dictation. Google aims to improve Gemini’s speed, accuracy and reliability, by extending the timeline, before making it the sole assistant on Android. For now, both services will continue to coexist, with Gemini gradually taking on more responsibilities as updates are released.
Police dismantle Raccoon 0365 hack network
Okitipi Samuel, also known as Moses Felix, an international cybercrime syndicate has been arrested for allegedly being the developer behind the Raccoon 0365 phishing toolkit. The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) announced the breakthrough on Thursday, December 18, after a year-long investigation involving the FBI, Interpol, and Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit.Raccoon 0365 operated as a Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) model, allowing low-skilled criminals to rent sophisticated hacking tools for approximately $355 per month. Between January and September 2025, the toolkit was used to harvest over 5,000 Microsoft 365 credentials from 94 countries, targeting healthcare providers, financial institutions, and government agencies.The operation gained global attention for its ability to bypass Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) using deceptive Cloudflare Turnstile CAPTCHAs to trick users into feeling secure. In September 2025, Microsoft successfully seized 338 domains linked to the infrastructure, leading investigators directly to the digital footprints of the developer in Nigeria.While three individuals were initially detained in Lagos and Edo states, police cleared two suspects Joshua and James, ruling that they were victims of identity theft, whose details were used by Samuel to register malicious infrastructure without their consent.Investigators used advanced blockchain forensics to trace cryptocurrency wallets used to sell phishing links on Telegram. Samuel allegedly managed a channel with over 850 members, receiving over $100,000 in digital payments.Despite the global scale of the crime and involvement of the FBI, Nigeria has opted to prosecute Samuel locally under the Cybercrimes Act, 2024, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years for attacks on critical infrastructure.Force PRO Benjamin Hundeyin lauded the arrest as a testament to Nigeria’s growing digital sovereignty and technical capacity. The NPF-NCCC claims to have “cut the head off the snake”, by unmasking the developer rather than just the end-users, and also disabling a tool that was sending up to 9,000 malicious emails daily.Okitipi Samuel remains in custody and is to be arraigned in a Federal High Court by early January 2026. Meanwhile, Microsoft has begun a mass-notification process for the 5,000+ compromised account holders to reset their security protocols.
Legal Experts slam FIRS MoU with France over economic data exposure fears
A debate has erupted following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and France’s Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP) on December 10. While the FIRS stated that the deal is a critical step toward digital tax administration, legal experts and opposition figures are raising alarms over data sovereignty.The partnership aims to leverage on the decades of experience in AI-powered audits of France and the automated compliance systems as the FIRS plan to adopt this into the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) in January 2026.Oladipupo Ige, a legal expert argued that even advisory access can lead to data exposure, potentially giving a foreign power visibility into Nigeria’s economic heartbeat.Dr. Segun Adebayo warned that aggregated data, though anonymized, can reveal vulnerabilities, industry-specific compliance gaps, and revenue dependencies, providing France with leverage in future trade and loan negotiations.Meanwhile, the FIRS maintains that no raw taxpayer data will leave the country.The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) is expected to conduct an independent review of the MoU. Meanwhile, opposition parties and the Northern Elders Forum are calling for the suspension of the deal until full public disclosure of the terms is made to the National Assembly.