The Boko Haram set was founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002. Since 2009 the group has been led by Abubakar Shekau, although it splintered into other groups after Yusuf’s death. In 2015, Boko Hara was classified as the world’s deadliest terror group by the Global Terrorism Network. The Boko Haram insurgents have contributed to regional food crises and famines.
The advance and spread of terrorism around the world has been accentuated by the important role played by finance. Terrorist organisations will not survive long without finances, as terrorism is an expensive activity that must be fueled continuously; it is an activity that needs constant finance for them to maintain their activities. The terrorists of yesteryear relied on archaic instruments such as daggers and knives that are easy to find, but terrorists today often need more sophisticated weapons, vehicle and technology for their operations.
Terrorist organisations also need money and other support from people outside their territory who will feed them with information and other things such as food, drugs and other necessaries to run their camps, feed their members, and plan and carry out attacks on their targets. This is exemplified by the businessmen who were arrested in an operation being coordinated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), and in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Removing the source of terrorist financing may not completely eradicate this phenomenon, but it could affect the frequency and scale of attacks by terrorist groups. For example, Biu local government area of Borno state, where the insurgency was initiated, was able to eradicate a good number of Boko Haram members by identifying them and penalizing them accordingly.
The activities of these terrorists won’t stop unless the link between them and the people outside who sponsor them or provide things to them or even keep their weapons for them or do business with them by every means is cut off. When you observe the activity you will come to realise that the terrorists have a mutual understanding and communicate well with the people who provide them with their needful.
It is important to understand the role of finance in the activities of terrorist organisations with a focus on the terrorist group “Boko Haram” in Nigeria and the attempts of the Nigerian government to stem, by legal means, the activities of this group and of groups similar. Much remains to be done to effectively cut off the various sources of funding and supports open to terrorist organisations in Nigeria.
Abdussalam Hammaadama,
Department of Mass Communication,
University of Maiduguri
