Bandits use ransom paid for kidnap victims to fund terrorism —Nig govt

The Nigerian government has given reasons why terrorism has continued to thrive in the country despite efforts to bring it to a halt.

National Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Rear Admiral Yaminu Musa (retd.), on Wednesday, revealed that bandits who kidnap for ransom use the monies paid by relatives of victims to finance terrorism.

Musa, who spoke during an “Anti-Kidnap Multi-Agency Fusion Cell Media and Communication workshop” held in Abuja on Wednesday, said research has shown that kidnapping for ransom has been identified as one of the means of funding terrorism.

“You will agree with me that proceeds of kidnap for ransom enterprise have continued to serve as a platform for financing terrorism not only in Nigeria but across the Sahel,” Musa said at the workshop organised by the ONSA in collaboration with the British High Commission.

Read also: In four years, bandits kill 23 pastors, 200 churches shut in Kaduna, state CAN claims

He added that it was vital for the government and the media to work together to establish a framework of synergy and standardisation for reporting on security-related matters, noting that such collaboration would enhance the accuracy and quality of news reporting and contribute to national security.

He further called for a “concerted effort from the government, the international community and citizens to curb the menace,” while noting that the workshop was necessary for the overall success of the government’s effort to curtail the menace of kidnapping.

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