Kaduna backs social media regulation over insecurity concerns

Following findings of a new peacebuilding report that identified digital platforms and competing narratives as key drivers of insecurity in Northern Nigeria, the Kaduna State Government has thrown its weight behind stronger regulation of social media platforms as part of efforts to curb misinformation, combat fake news and prevent the escalation of conflicts.

The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, stated this on Tuesday during the dissemination of findings from the Delimi Prosper Project at the Gusau Institute in Kaduna, saying that the project was implemented under the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRING) initiative with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The one-day event brought together government officials, civil society organisations, development partners and other stakeholders to review findings and recommendations from the eight-month intervention.

Maiyaki said, “The report underscored the importance of evidence-based peacebuilding. Sustainable peace could only be achieved through informed interventions rather than assumptions.”

According to him, government policies and responses to conflict must be guided by credible data and research capable of identifying the root causes of insecurity and pathways to lasting peace.

He added, “We are quite glad with the report that we have seen, which is evidence-based because addressing conflict and building peace requires evidence and not assumptions.”

The commissioner stated that one does not entrench peace, institutionalise peace or build peace without evidence of what has been done.

He, however, expressed concern over the growing role of social media in spreading misinformation and disinformation, warning that digital platforms were increasingly being exploited to fuel tensions and deepen divisions within communities.

He maintained that while social media remains an important tool for information dissemination and citizen engagement, it should not be allowed to serve as a vehicle for incitement, falsehood and conflict propagation.

“Our greatest concern remains one of the outcomes of the report, which has shown digital media as one of the enablers of escalation of conflict. My ministry is quite worried about this,” Maiyaki said.

He added that social media is an important component of information dissemination and media engagement, but it should not be used negatively to spread falsehoods or inflame tensions, stressing that even in advanced democracies such as the United States, social media platforms are regulated. As such, people cannot, in the name of freedom, be allowed to abuse these platforms to instigate conflict or misinform the public.

Maiyaki said the state government would continue to provide timely and accurate information to citizens while intensifying efforts to counter fake news and disinformation capable of triggering unrest.

He explained that there are laws in the country that prohibit the amplification of fake news, as government will not sit idle and watch conflict merchants use these platforms to misinform the public or instigate people against one another.

Speaking on the findings of the project, the Executive Director of Engaging Borders Strategy, Research and Development, Richard Ali, said young people remain central to the dynamics of conflict across Northern Nigeria and must therefore be placed at the heart of peacebuilding interventions.

Ali explained that the project, which ran from August 2025 to March 2026 across parts of the North-West and North-Central regions, produced nine key recommendations, including stronger collaboration among governments, development partners and civil society groups.

He noted that the digital space has become a major arena for conflict narratives and warned that sustainable peace would require coordinated efforts to address both online and offline drivers of violence.

“The key finding is that young people are at the centre of these conflicts that we see in Northern Nigeria. If we are going to address these conflicts effectively, then we must do so with young people at the centre,” he said, adding that collective action remains the most effective path to breaking recurring cycles of conflict and insecurity.

Kaduna backs social media regulation over insecurity concerns