There are indications that President Bola Tinubu may soon name those behind terrorism financing in Nigeria.
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Policy Communication, revealed this in an interview in Abuja.
Bwala, while speaking on the ongoing efforts to end activities of terrorists and kidnappers in the country, disclosed that the “President has moved beyond talking about terrorism to tracing the money behind it.”
Recall that the federal government had listed terrorism financing as a major challenge in the efforts to end the activities of Boko Haram and ISWAP.
Bwala said under his watch, the President has ensured expansion of deployments of joint security operations.
Bwala said the “network of financiers enabling these criminals is being quietly uncovered, and Nigerians will soon see firm actions that strike at the heart of the problem.”
He noted that the President is delivering “real leadership, backed by real results.”
He noted that terrorism is driven overwhelmingly by economic incentives, including illegal mining, cattle rustling, kidnapping-for-ransom, extortion, and territorial control.
There has also been opportunistic linkages existing between terrorists and their smuggling networks in the Sahel.
Read also: Why we are yet to prosecute terrorism sponsors – FG
He disclosed that “insecurity in Nigeria remains inseparable from the destabilisation that followed the 2011 Libya and Egypt uprisings:
“The collapse of the Libyan state allowed Al-Qaeda-aligned traffickers to loot and disperse heavy weapons across the Sahel.
“There are also cases of weapons flowing through smuggling routes entered West Africa and Nigeria, strengthening Boko Haram, ISWAP and later banditry networks.”
