The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), through the National Defence College (NDC), has taken steps to tackle terrorism financing, even as it seeks collaboration across regions.
Identifying terrorism financing as one of the ways terrorism thrives, NDC Commandant Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Olotu said the complex nature of terrorism financing requires effective synergy between relevant stakeholders at both national and regional levels to tackle it.
He reiterated that effective synergy was critical due to the complexities of the geopolitical, economic, cultural, and religious interconnectivity in West Africa, the Sahel region, and the entire continent.
Rear Admiral Olotu stated this on Monday at the inauguration of Countering the Financing of Terrorism and Regional Security Course by the NDC ‘s Centre for Strategic Research and Studies (CSRS).
He said that research had shown that one of the most resilient enablers of terrorism is the complex and often clandestine network of financing mechanisms that fuel extremist recruitment, logistics, operations and expansion.
“Thus, countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) is not just a financial or legal obligation, but also a vital component of our broader national and regional security strategy,” he said.
Rear Admiral Olotu explained that the decision to widen the scope of participants to include professionals from the public and private financial sectors was premised on the current realisation that the whole-government approach is not enough to engender peace and security; rather, the whole-society approach, where every citizen is a stakeholder, is more likely to succeed.
Olotu acknowledged the importance of collaboration both at the national and regional levels, noting the complexities of the geopolitical, economic, cultural and religious inter-connectivity in West Africa, the Sahel region and, by extension, the African continent.
He continued, “These must be exploited to develop robust and comprehensive strategies that would leave no room for terrorist vulnerabilities.
“In this regard, this course marks a significant milestone in our collective effort to strengthen national, regional, and global counter-terrorism strategies, particularly in the area of CFT.”
LEADERSHIP reports that many security experts and analysts have been telling the government that the most efficient strategy to contain terrorists, bandits, and other non-state actors was to cut off their source of funds and arms.(Leadership Newspaper)
