Terrorist groups in Nigeria’s northeastern states are expanding their use of commercial, off-the-shelf drones (COTS), escalating their ability to attack military compounds and civilian targets in Borno and Yobe states.
Over the weekend beginning February 28, Nigerian Soldiers repelled Boko Haram attacks against three forward operating bases in the region. After killing 10 terrorists, Soldiers recovered a variety of weapons, including armed drones.
Nigeria’s Premium Times reported earlier this year that Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists acquired 35 quadcopter drones transported through smuggling routes in the Lake Chad basin.
“If ISWAP and other terrorist groups can obtain drones at scale, it suggests that insecurity in Nigeria, particularly in the north-east and north-west, may be entering a more dangerous phase,” analyst Ezenwa E. Olumba wrote for The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Terrorists across the region have used drones for gathering intelligence, targeting weapons, and filming propaganda. The addition of armed drones gives terror groups the capacity to change the tempo of violence, Olumba wrote.
“Drones can enable them to conduct repeated, sustained strikes against the Nigerian military formations rather than sporadic raids,” he added. “It also raises the prospect of coordinated multi-drone attacks by the terrorists using drone swarms.”
As terrorists adopt armed drones, residents fear increased violence.
“ISWAP has proven to be highly adaptive, learning and evolving in response to state military strategies,” Samuel Malik, who works with Good Governance Africa, told DW.
In an attempt to suppress drone attacks, Nigerian authorities have banned the use of commercial-style civilian drones in parts of the country hit hardest by terrorist groups. Analyst Taiwo Adebayo at South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies has called for Nigeria to put more muscle into blocking the terrorists’ supplies, such as the Lake Chad corridor, and disrupting their financing.
Olumba has pointed out that groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP are adding armed drones to their weapons mix in part because they can afford to — they are wealthy enough to spend large sums on drones that will be used only once.
Analysts say that governments must respond to the growing threat from armed quadcopters by developing better countermeasures as well as with their own drone industry. Nigeria has in recent years ramped up domestic drone production through companies such as Briech UAS and Terra Industries. The first Briech-produced drone debuted in April 2025.
Olumba urges the Nigerian government to invest direct in the drone-makers to guarantee their longevity and to reduce their need for foreign revenue.
“Stable state-funded support would allow companies to spend less time chasing finance and more time on research, testing, and production,” he wrote.
Nigeria must find a way to build and launch diverse drone systems, boost air defenses, and deploy effective counter-drone measures in regions at high risk.
“The next phase of counterinsurgency will be shaped less by sheer firepower than by speed of adaptation towards emerging technologies,” Olumba wrote.