DSS, NIA Tracking Politicians Financing Terrorism – CDS

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has disclosed that efforts to identify and prosecute terrorism financiers in Nigeria are ongoing, stressing that the process is complicated due to legal bottlenecks and international networks.

Naija News reports that Musa disclosed on Thursday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

According to the defence chief, the complexity of the investigations arises from the fact that many of the financiers operate across borders and often rely on local collaborators.

He said, “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.

“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.”

Musa praised the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for playing a critical role in exposing 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.

He added that the Attorney-General of the Federation and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, alongside security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), are working assiduously to clamp down on financiers.

The CDS warned that some political figures may also be complicit in fueling insecurity in the lead-up to the 2027 elections.

Musa said, “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.

“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?”

When asked if some of these political actors had been identified, Musa said, “Work is still in progress.”

The Defence Chief also emphasised the need for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s legal system to expedite the prosecution of terrorism cases.

Musa added, “I can tell you that the DSS, the NIA, the NFIU, and the DIA are all working assiduously.

“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.”