By Opeyemi Adelakun
Nigeria has called on the African Union (AU) to intensify efforts to block illicit financial flows that continue to finance terrorism and violent extremism across the continent.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the call during a ministerial-level virtual meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council, where she said access to illegal funds remains one of the biggest factors sustaining terrorist groups in Africa.
She noted that proceeds from kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining activities and other illicit financial networks have enabled extremist groups to recruit young people, acquire sophisticated weapons and expand their operations despite ongoing military offensives.
According to the minister, terrorist organisations are increasingly deploying commercially available technologies, including drones and digital platforms, making it necessary for African countries and international partners to strengthen cooperation in tracing, recovering and blocking illicit funds used to finance terrorism.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged the AU Peace and Security Council to promote stronger international collaboration to prevent criminal groups from accessing financial resources and weapons, while also calling on countries to stop non-state actors from acquiring arms, ammunition, drones and other dual-use technologies.
She also cautioned against portraying Africa as the global centre of terrorism, warning that such narratives could lead to the profiling and unfair treatment of innocent Africans travelling abroad.
Highlighting Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts, the minister said the country has adopted a combination of military operations and non-military strategies, including deradicalisation programmes, rehabilitation of repentant insurgents, youth empowerment, education and community engagement to curb violent extremism.
She added that Nigeria remains committed to regional cooperation through the ECOWAS counter-terrorism strategy and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), while advocating improved intelligence sharing, stronger cybersecurity measures and responsible use of artificial intelligence in combating terrorism across Africa.
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