Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
The Federal Government has called on the African Union Peace and Security Council to strengthen efforts to combat illicit financial flows, describing them as a major driver of terrorism and violent extremism across the continent.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the call on Tuesday during the 1354th Meeting of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union at the ministerial level, held virtually.
According to a statement issued by the Special Assistant on Communication and New Media to the minister, Magnus Eze, she also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and international partnerships aimed at combating terrorism and violent extremism.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said access to illicit funds remained one of the greatest obstacles to defeating terrorism in Africa, as it enabled terrorist groups to recruit young people and procure sophisticated weapons.
“Mr Chair, a major obstacle to any progress being made in the fight against terrorism in Africa is access to illicit funds.
“It facilitates the recruitment of youths and the 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 origin,” she said.
The minister warned that terrorist groups across the continent were becoming increasingly resilient against conventional military operations and were exploiting emerging technologies to sustain their activities.
“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.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said Nigeria strongly condemned all acts of terrorism and violent extremism, expressing solidarity with victims of terrorist attacks across Africa and commending the sacrifices of armed forces confronting the threat on the continent.
She noted that the spread of terrorism and violent extremism in West Africa had been used by military adventurists as justification for unconstitutional changes of government in some countries.
According to her, the African Union’s immediate challenge is to determine the most effective way to curtail the operational freedom of jihadist groups across the continent.
She urged the AU and its member states to translate into action the commitments made at the 2022 Malabo Extraordinary Summit on Counter-Terrorism, and the High-Level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting held in Abuja in 2024.
The minister also cautioned against portraying Africa as the global epicentre of terrorism, warning that such a narrative could lead to the profiling of innocent Africans and expose them to ill-treatment at international airports and other destinations.
Highlighting Nigeria’s response to the security challenge, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the country had adopted a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy combining military operations with non-kinetic measures.
“Our sustained operations have ensured significant degradation in the operational capacity of Boko Haram and ISWAP as well as the restoration of government authority in many of the affected communities.
“We are combating financiers of terrorist activities in the country. We are also deradicalising, rehabilitating and reintegrating repentant ex-combatants.
“To address the root causes, we have scaled up investment in education, critical infrastructure, economic empowerment of youths, and we are prioritising community resilience.
“We are engaging traditional and religious leaders, women and youth in our strategies for countering extremist narratives and preventing radicalisation,” she said.
The minister added that Nigeria was working closely with neighbouring countries through the ECOWAS Regional Counter-Terrorism Strategy, strengthening intelligence sharing, border security and coordinated responses to terrorist threats.
“We appreciate the importance of coordination of efforts in addressing the scourge. That is why we are working closely with our neighbouring countries and championing the implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Counter-Terrorism Strategy as well as the Region’s Early Warning and Response Network.
“We are strengthening intelligence-sharing, border security and coordinated responses to terrorists’ threats.
“Our support for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has made it the continental best practice on regional mechanisms for combating terrorists’ operations that it is today,” she said.
The minister further endorsed enhanced intelligence sharing, disruption of terrorist financing networks, improved continental early warning systems, stronger cybersecurity measures, and the development of guidelines for the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence in preventing and combating terrorism and violent extremism.
She also urged international partners to adopt zero tolerance for terrorism irrespective of its motives by preventing non-state actors from acquiring arms, ammunition, drones, dual-use goods and other sophisticated weapons.
The meeting was presided over by Uganda’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Haruna Kasolo, who chairs the AU Peace and Security Council for July 2026.
Deborah Musa is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with five years of experience in journalism, including three years covering the judiciary. She focuses on producing accurate, well-researched reports that provide clarity on legal and justice-related issues. Deborah’s work reflects hands-on newsroom experience and editorial diligence.
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