President Bola Tinubu has said foreigners pump a lot of money to fund illegal mining and terrorism across Africa. He stressed the need for African countries to strengthen regional cooperation and institution-building to address the evolving threat of terrorism on the continent. The President says terrorism poses a significant threat to peace, security, and development in the continent.
This he spoke about at the opening ceremony of a two-day African high-level meeting on counter-terrorism, with the theme: Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Institution Building to Address Evolving Threats of Terrorism, organised by the Office of the NSA (ONSA) and UN Office for Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT).
In a statement last night in Abuja by his special adviser on media and publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the President said: “While we seek to address the root causes of terrorism, we must also attack the roots that feed this evil branch. Evolving from the tactics of yesterday, terrorism is becoming a greater threat as it perfects ways to continuously finance, re-equip and re-supply itself for its sinister mission. Not only does it kidnap people, but it also kidnaps precious resources. Billions upon billions of dollars that legitimate governments should be using to sculpt better societies by providing education, health care, and food for its people now go to pay for weapons and mayhem…”
President Tinubu noted that terrorism poses a threat to everyone in the society. To combat the menace, the President said: “We must address the root causes of extremism, such as poverty, marginalisation, and social injustice. However, this important fact should not become empty rhetoric, devoid of meaning or action.” He stressed the need to strengthen existing counter-terrorism structures, such as the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU), the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT), and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA). President Tinubu also stressed the need for a Regional Standby Force that includes tackling terrorism as part of its mandate. He sought the cooperation of regional governments across Africa to fight and end the menace on the continent.
Also, the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, called for concerted efforts to fight terrorism in Africa through integrated security strategies. The NSA said terrorism in Africa was driven by several factors, including organised crime, foreign terrorism financing and training, poverty, inequality, and prolonged conflicts. He said Nigeria was dealing decisively with all drivers of violent extremism, including economic and social enablers, enhancing intelligence gathering through enhanced inter-agency collaboration and confidence building with citizens.
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