WorldStage– Nigeria has urged the African Union (AU) to tackle illicit funds that fuel terrorism and violent extremism on the continent.
This is in a statement issued by Dr Magnus Eze, Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Office of the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday in Abuja
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made ths call on the margins of the 1354th Meeting of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the AU at the ministerial level.
The meeting was virtually presided by Haruna Kasolo, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda and Chairperson of the PSC for July 2026.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu attributed major obstacle hindering progress made in fights against terrorism in Africa to access to illicit funds, saying such facilitated the recruitment of youths and procurement of lethal weapons by terrorist groups.
“We call on the PSC 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 origins.”
She said that terrorist groups on the continent were beginning to show greater resilience against conventional military counter-terrorism operations in Africa.
Nigeria, she said, strongly condemned all acts of the twin-evils of terrorism, violent extremism and extended the country’s solidarity with all victims of the menace.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu expressed appreciation for the sacrifices of the armed forces, who continued to confront terrorists operating on the continent, on daily basis.
However, she stressed that spread of terrorism and violent extremism within West African Region had been adduced as justification for the intervention of military adventurists, to unconstitutionally change democratically elected Governments in their countries.
“They are increasingly acquiring and deploying commercially available technologies, such as drones and other sophisticated digital platforms.
“They are also having what seems to be unhindered access to illicit financing through kidnapping for ransom and mining of precious minerals in territories where they operate,” she said.
She decried challenges confronting the AU on determining the best way to curtail the operational freedom of jihadist groups on the continent, while reiterating the need for commitment to the 2022 Malabo Extraordinary Summit on Counter Terrorism
Also those made by Member States during the High-Level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting, held in Abuja, in 2024.Odumegwu-Ojukwu called on international partners to affirm zero tolerance for terrorism regardless of the motives by taking appropriate measures to prevent non-state actors from acquiring arms, ammunition, drones and other sophisticated weapons manufactured by companies in their territories.
