TI: Weak Border Security Surveillance at Heart of Terrorism Financing in Nigeria

•Seeks effective law enforcement collaboration

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

Transparency International, Nigeria (TI-Nigeria) and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), yesterday, in Abuja, fingered weak security and surveillance at nation’s borders as major a contributor to terrorism financing in Nigeria.

The bodies hinted that the lack of control and monitoring allowed terrorists, as well as small arms and light weapons, to infiltrate the country quickly.

To this end, they sought adequate and effective collaborations on the part of law enforcement and regulatory agencies to tame the problem of terrorist financing in Nigeria.

In his welcome remark at a multi-stakeholder national dialogue on preventing terrorism financing and violent extremism in the North Eastern part of Nigeria, the Executive Director, CISLAC/TI-Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, stressed the imperative of strengthening security measures at borders by Nigerian authorities to prevent the inflow of funds and resources for terrorist activities.

He noted that effective information sharing was crucial in combating terrorism financing, yet there seemed to be a lack of coordination among various agencies and institutions.

This, he said, hindered the ability to track and intercept suspicious transactions and apprehend those responsible for financing terrorism.

Rafsanjani explained that the lingering inter-agency rivalry among response agencies constituted an impediment to intelligence gathering and information sharing for coordinated response to potential violent signals.

“Unhealthy inter-agencies rivalry and struggles for superiority among response agencies competing for resources have been identified as major barriers to coordinated response to conflict warning signals at all levels.

“We are indeed excited to bring under one roof, state and non-state actors as part of the effort to drive a collective resolution and citizen-oriented approach towards the prevention of terrorism, terrorism financing and violent extremism with specific focus on North-East Nigeria.  

“This Dialogue remains critical to galvanise all-inclusive conversation on the thematic focus, giving the recurring threats to lives and property of many Nigerians, occasioned by terrorism and violent extremism that have hitherto bedeviled the country.

“You would all agree with me that terrorism constitutes a global threat, and Nigeria, unfortunately, is one of the countries that faces a high level of terrorism.

“While attempts to combat terrorism and violent extremism in the country continue, policy attention has been shifted towards many sources of terrorism financing, which have continued to fuel terrorism and other violent conflicts in Nigeria.

“Without doubt, terrorism finance is the backbone of terrorist groups as funds go into buying weapons, recruiting militants, and operating terrorist organisations. Just as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) puts it, ‘terrorist groups need money to sustain themselves and carry out terrorist acts.”

Rafsanjani, further stated that, poor awareness at community levels hampered collective monitoring and timely response to warning signals of potential terrorist activities and violent extremism.