Christopher Musa, the chief of defence staff (CDS), says the process of identifying and prosecuting terrorism financiers in Nigeria is ongoing.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday, Musa said the process is complex because it involves legal hurdles and international networks.
The defence chief said terrorist financiers often rely on local collaborators who remit money into certain accounts.
“I think the process is on; I can speak for this government and because it has to do with a lot of legal issues and because again, it has to do with international connections,” he said.
“Some of them have funds coming from outside; we cannot do anything from within.
“The local ones normally employ a few individuals and provide motorcycles for them, and those ones remit funds daily into some accounts, so it’s being tracked.”
The CDS also commended the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for its role in tracking financial links to terrorism.
“The NFIU has been doing so much; apart from the intelligence set-up, the financial links are also being followed through and through, and arrests have been made,” he said.
“I can assure you the attorney-general of the federation and the NSA (Nuhu Ribadu) are all working seriously to ensure that we address those issues.”
He added that the Department of State Services (DSS), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and other security agencies are also tracing political actors who fund insecurity.
“You know criminals work together; they synergise their efforts, both the bandits and terrorists, because they have a common goal: they want to make money and ensure communities are suffering for whatever reason,” Musa said.
“And again, some part of politics—when there is peace, it shows the government is doing well, and when there is no peace, it shows the government is not doing well.
“You realise that last year we had the least number of deaths; then, how come suddenly everything has gone up? Because politics has come in; elections are coming in.
“You cannot rule out the fact that some individuals are making sure there is no peace. The funny thing is, how do you want to kill the people you want to govern? What do you gain from it?”
Asked if political actors behind terrorism have been identified, Musa said “work is still in progress”.
He also called for reforms in the justice system to accelerate terrorism cases.
“I can tell you that the DSS, the NIA, the NFIU, and the DIA are all working assiduously,” he said.
“And again, it has to do with the legal system. We have to review our legal system because some of the punishments and prosecutions take too long.
“Maybe if we have a special court that will treat terrorism cases as quickly as they arise. I think we also need to review the punishment for offences.”
