Countering Online Radicalization: Strategies for Mitigating the Threat of Lone Wolf Terrorism in Nigeria

Abstract

This study examine strategies for countering online radicalisation of lone wolf terrorist. The study was guided by three research questions. A qualitative historical research design was used in the study. The population comprises of 41,740 text documents published as open sources within the period of 2005 to 2021. The sample size for this study comprised of 96 text documents and 15 Key Informant Interviewees. A multistage sampling was used to select 96 text documents, while purposive sampling was used to select 15 Key Informant Interviewees. Data collected were analysed using thematic analysis. Results shows that terrorist groups used social media sites in disseminating propaganda on the Internet due to its in-built interactive features and popularity among people especially the youths. Through online platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, potential lone wolves were able to easily connect and identify with like-minded peers on the Internet. Further findings from the study show that monitoring and removing extremist from chat room; creation of websites to lure extremist; intercepting & hacking social media accounts; and the use of computer algorithms to identify extremist on the internet were some of the effective strategies of countering online radicalization of lone wolf. The study recommend among others that Since the Nigerian law enforcement agencies should use electronic surveillance techniques to monitor online activity and identify potential lone wolves.

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