Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has revealed that many Boko Haram insurgents and members of other terrorist groups who surrender often possess significant amounts of hard currency.
He emphasized the critical need to trace the origins of these funds but lamented that Nigeria lacks the jurisdiction and tools to do so effectively.
Speaking during an interview with Aljazeera, General Musa explained that these funds form part of the financial resources that terrorists have used for training, acquiring weapons, and sustaining their operations for over 15 years. He urged the United Nations (UN) to investigate these financial flows, suggesting that the insurgents likely receive international support to perpetuate their activities.
“We have appealed to the international community to help us trace the sources of these funds. Over 120,000 insurgents have surrendered so far, and many of them were found with hard currency. The questions we must ask are: How did they obtain these funds? Who is funding them? How are they being trained and equipped?” he said.
General Musa suggested that an international conspiracy might be at play, enabling the insurgents to sustain their operations for nearly two decades. “It is only the UN that has the global jurisdiction and capacity to trace these financial networks. Nigeria does not have control over such international financial flows,” he added.
The CDS underscored the need for international collaboration, urging the UN to take proactive steps in uncovering the sources of funding that enable Boko Haram and other insurgent groups to thrive.
This call for global action highlights the complex challenges Nigeria faces in countering insurgency, emphasizing the need for a united international effort to disrupt the financial networks sustaining terrorism.
