The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Aliyu (SAN), has said that it will continue to combat terrorism financing in order to curtail illicit financial activities.
Musa stated this during a Multi-Stakeholders’ National Dialogue on preventing terrorism financing and violent extremism, organized by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in partnership with Transparency International in Nigeria (TI-Nigeria) and the Inter-Governmental Action Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA ECOWAS), at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja.
The ICPC’s Acting Director, Public Enlightenment and Education, Demola Bakare, also quoted Aliyu as emphasising the Commission’s role as a beacon of hope, particularly in Nigeria’s North-Eastern region. Aliyu also underscored ICPC’s relentless efforts in conveying a resolute message to the Nigerian populace, affirming its steadfast commitment to combat terrorism financing directly.
He said, “By targeting the root causes of illicit financial flows, ICPC aims not only to disrupt terrorist funding channels but also to uphold the integrity of global financial systems.”
The ICPC chairman also outlined the Commission’s determination to dismantle intricate networks facilitating illicit financial flows, which sustain terrorism through arms procurement, terrorist recruitment and operational logistics.
He stressed the essential nature of addressing terrorism financing, highlighting its pivotal role in debilitating extremist groups’ operational capacities and restoring peace and security to the northeast region of the country.
Aliyu further identified poverty and illiteracy as key drivers of terrorism in Nigeria, noting that addressing these underlying issues was imperative to combat extremism and violent dissent.
The ICPC boss emphasized the direct correlation between governance failures, corruption and the prevalence of poverty and illiteracy, emphasizing the ICPC’s proactive role in combating these vices to prevent the proliferation of extremism and terrorism.
Auwal Ibrahim Musa, Executive Director of CISLAC, echoed concerns over the escalating financing of terrorist activities in Nigeria, citing adverse global terrorism indices and recent government identifications of entities involved in terrorism financing.
The CISLAC boss stressed the need for collective action among stakeholders to combat terrorism and its adverse effects on poverty rates and internal displacement in the country.
