Nigeria Urges AU to Tackle Illicit Funds Fueling Terrorism in Africa

Nigeria has called on the African Union (AU) to intensify efforts to combat illicit financial flows that continue to finance terrorism and violent extremism across the continent.

The appeal was made on Tuesday by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, during the African Union Peace and Security Council ministerial meeting held virtually.

According to a statement issued by the minister’s media aide, Magnus Eze, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said access to illicit funds remains one of the greatest obstacles to defeating terrorism in Africa, enabling extremist groups to recruit young people, procure sophisticated weapons and sustain their operations.

She noted that terrorist organisations are becoming increasingly resilient against conventional military operations due to their growing financial capacity.

“A major obstacle to any progress being made in the fight against terrorism in Africa is access to illicit funds,” she said.

“It facilitates the recruitment of youths and the procurement of lethal weapons by terrorist groups. We call on the Peace and Security Council to stress the need for stronger international cooperation in preventing, tracing, recovering and returning proceeds of illicit financial flows from safe havens to countries of origin.”

The minister also warned that terrorist groups have expanded their operational capabilities through the use of commercially available technologies, including drones and digital platforms, while generating income through kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining activities.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed Nigeria’s condemnation of terrorism and violent extremism in all forms, expressing solidarity with victims across the continent.

She urged international partners to adopt a zero-tolerance approach by preventing non-state actors from acquiring arms, ammunition, drones and other dual-use technologies manufactured within their jurisdictions.

The minister cautioned against portraying Africa as the global epicentre of terrorism, arguing that such narratives unfairly stigmatise innocent Africans travelling abroad.

Highlighting Nigeria’s counter-terrorism strategy, she said the country combines military operations with non-kinetic measures, including deradicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for repentant insurgents.

She added that the government has increased investment in education, infrastructure, youth empowerment and community resilience while engaging traditional and religious leaders to counter extremist ideologies.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu also said Nigeria continues to champion the implementation of the ECOWAS regional counter-terrorism strategy and supports stronger intelligence sharing, cybersecurity cooperation and ethical use of artificial intelligence in combating terrorism.

She described the Multinational Joint Task Force as Africa’s best example of effective regional collaboration against terrorism.