CDS Musa: Uncovering the truth about terrorism financing, By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi

… security agencies, including the military and police, must intensify efforts to identify terrorist networks, disrupt their cells, and dismantle their training camps and logistical hubs. Only through a multi-pronged approach that combines financial intelligence, counterterrorism operations, and international cooperation can Nigeria hope to defeat the scourge of terrorism.

Recent allegations by US Congressman Scott Perry, claiming that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been funding terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram, have reignited concerns about foreign involvement in Nigeria’s security challenges. These claims appear to validate the long-standing warnings of Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, who has repeatedly highlighted the role of external support in sustaining terrorist activities in the country.

A seasoned military strategist with extensive battlefield experience, General Musa has consistently questioned how terrorist groups in Nigeria manage to sustain their operations despite sustained military offensives. He has pointed to foreign financial and logistical support as a critical factor enabling the persistence of these groups. On multiple occasions, the Defence Chief has expressed concerns about the activities of international organisations operating in conflict zones, particularly in the North-East. He has alleged that some of these entities indirectly support terrorist groups through funding and training, thereby prolonging the insurgency.

General Musa has cited compelling evidence to support his claims. For instance, he revealed that many surrendered or captured Boko Haram fighters have been found in possession of foreign currency, raising serious questions about their funding sources.

“As we speak, over 120,000 Boko Haram members have surrendered, and most of them came with hard currency. How did they get it? How are they funded? How did they get the training? How did they get the equipment?” he asked.

The CDS has also raised alarms over the suspicious activities of certain international non-governmental organisations (NGOs). He cited instances where some of these organisations, ostensibly providing humanitarian aid, paid up to ten years’ rent in advance for properties in insurgency-prone areas. He questioned the rationale behind such long-term commitments, asking whether these NGOs had foreknowledge that terrorism would persist for another decade.

General Musa has emphasised that terrorism financing is the lifeblood of these groups, and cutting off their funding sources would naturally lead to their collapse. To this end, he has called for a more proactive approach to tackling Nigeria’s security challenges, including enhanced financial intelligence and international cooperation.

During an interview with Al Jazeera last month, General Musa urged the United Nations to investigate the funding and training of Boko Haram terrorists. His appeal came amidst new intelligence that Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) had begun deploying drones for surveillance ahead of attacks on security personnel.

To effectively dismantle these financial networks, both the international community and Nigerian authorities must collaborate in identifying and cutting off the flow of funds to terrorist organisations before the situation spirals further out of control. At the forefront of this effort should be enhanced inter-agency collaboration among financial intelligence organisations.

“The UN needs to come in because we need to trace the funding. It is an international flow, and we do not have control over that,” he said.

At the start of 2025, Nigeria experienced a resurgence of terrorist activities, marked by increased attacks on military bases, police stations, and civilian populations in states such as Borno, Kebbi, and Sokoto. The military high command attributed this escalation to the influx of foreign fighters from the Sahel region, alongside the activities of local collaborators who serve as informants for terrorist groups.

These concerns were further reinforced by Congressman Scott Perry’s damning allegations during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE). Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, accused USAID of misappropriating taxpayers’ funds, some of which he claimed ended up in the hands of terrorist organisations.

“Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your money, your money — $697 million annually, plus shipments of cash — funds Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS-Khorasan, and terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry declared.

It is widely recognised that financial support is the lifeline of terrorist operations. Blocking their funding channels — whether local or foreign — would significantly weaken these non-state actors. While insurgents in Nigeria generate income through kidnappings, ransom payments, illicit taxation, drug trafficking, and arms deals, external funding remains a crucial enabler of their sustained activities.

To effectively dismantle these financial networks, both the international community and Nigerian authorities must collaborate in identifying and cutting off the flow of funds to terrorist organisations before the situation spirals further out of control. At the forefront of this effort should be enhanced inter-agency collaboration among financial intelligence organisations. Institutions such as the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Department of State Services (DSS) must take the lead in tracking and disrupting these financial transactions.

Meanwhile, security agencies, including the military and police, must intensify efforts to identify terrorist networks, disrupt their cells, and dismantle their training camps and logistical hubs. Only through a multi-pronged approach that combines financial intelligence, counterterrorism operations, and international cooperation can Nigeria hope to defeat the scourge of terrorism.

Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi is a research fellow at the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC). He can be reached via: ymukhtar944@gmail.com