In a significant move to curb terrorism, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to track terrorism funding in the country.
General Musa made the call when he played host to the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede, in his office at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in Abuja.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, on Friday.
According to the statement, Musa also described the legal system of the country as “soft”, lamenting that the system is delaying the prosecution of suspects which he noted as one of the major challenges for the Military.
The statement partly read, “The CDS called for the tracking of terrorism funding in Nigeria, being one of the non-kinetic means of fighting terrorism across the globe.
“The CDS further informed the Chairman of the Anti-Graft body that AFN synergises with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited and other stakeholders to fight oil theft in the country.
“He lamented that the issues of blocking loopholes brought about by the siphoning of oil and the soft legal system which delays the prosecution of suspects have been major challenges.”
“He harped on the use of census, and installation of Closed-Circuit Television Cameras in strategic points to contain cases of corruption, terrorism, and other forms of insecurity in the country.”
Further in the statement, Musa, however, urged the EFCC boss to encourage public officeholders and other Nigerians in positions of authority to uphold good governance to forestall economic breakdown and insecurity.
In his remarks, Olukoyede stated that the war against corruption must be won as the menace has destroyed the nation’s economy and at the same time dented the image of the country.
According to him, if drastic measures are not taken, the country would be put into jeopardy in the next 10 years.
“As a means to mitigate the menace caused by corruption and insecurity, the chairman posited that cognitive responsibility has to be embraced by the military and other security agencies, adding that the war against corruption should be seen as everybody’s business.
“Furthermore, he said EFCC, the military, and other security agencies have to join forces in fighting corruption,” the statement added.
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The Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa in a report titled “Terrorist Financing in West Africa” stated that terrorists and terrorist organisations use both legitimate and illegitimate means to raise funds, and formal and informal channels to move cash around.
The organisation stated that law enforcement and regulatory agencies, security and intelligence services, and the judiciary lack the requisite capacity to effectively address the challenge of terrorism and terrorism financing.
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