Security and legal experts have intensified calls for firm political leadership, deepened community engagement, and robust institutional accountability as indispensable tools in the fight against terrorism financing in Nigeria. They warned that the country’s lingering insecurity will remain intractable unless deliberate and coordinated efforts are made to identify, disrupt, and permanently cut off the financial networks that sustain terror groups, stressing that guns cannot be silenced while the flow of funds continues unchecked.
The experts, Senator Iroegbu and Barrister Casmir Igwe, made the call on Frontiers and Security Affairs, a security-focused programme aired live on Armed Forces Radio 107.7 FM and anchored by Tosin Obiakheme.
The discussion focused on how terrorist networks raise, move, and conceal funds, the challenges of detection and prosecution, and the shared responsibility of government institutions and citizens in disrupting illicit financial flows.
Speaking on the programme, Senator Iroegbu, a media consultant and security analyst, described funding as the backbone of terrorism, stressing that without money, terror groups cannot recruit, procure weapons, or sustain operations.
He noted that although Nigeria’s cashless policy and financial surveillance frameworks were designed to curb illicit transactions, their effectiveness has been undermined by weak capacity, poor understanding of financial red flags, and political interference.
“The cashless policy is meant to help track terrorism financing, but when key actors within the financial system cannot identify suspicious transactions, the entire framework collapses,” Iroegbu said.
He explained that terrorist financiers often mask illegal flows as legitimate business transactions, making detection difficult for untrained bankers, regulators, and point-of-sale operators.
Iroegbu also condemned selective enforcement and the politicisation of security issues, alleging that some individuals linked to terrorism financing evade scrutiny due to ethnic, religious, or political connections.
“In many instances, due process is deliberately compromised. Instructions come from above to look the other way, while officers who insist on enforcement are punished,” he said.
He further criticised the National Assembly for limiting its role to verbal appeals, insisting that lawmakers possess constitutional oversight powers to compel investigations and prosecutions.
“Oversight is not about issuing statements. It is about enforcing accountability,” he added.
Barrister Casmir Igwe, a lawyer and political analyst, identified political interference, porous borders, poverty, weak intelligence coordination, and poor data management as major obstacles to combating terrorism financing.
He argued that Nigeria’s intelligence operations have become too visible, reducing their ability to prevent attacks, and called for a return to discreet, intelligence-led security strategies.
“Effective intelligence work is quiet and strategic. Once operatives become predictable or exposed, prevention fails,” Igwe said.
He also called for the strengthening of forest guards to secure Nigeria’s vast ungoverned spaces, which he described as safe havens for criminal and terrorist groups.
Igwe renewed advocacy for state policing and robust community policing structures, stressing that local knowledge is essential for timely intelligence and effective crime prevention.
“You cannot send people who do not understand the terrain and expect results. Community-based security is faster, smarter, and more effective,” he said.
Both speakers emphasised the importance of citizen involvement in combating terrorism financing, urging Nigerians to embrace the “see something, say something” principle.
Iroegbu noted that most criminal activities originate within communities, making residents the first and most valuable source of intelligence for security agencies.
However, he warned that public cooperation would remain weak unless whistleblowers are protected and actionable intelligence consistently leads to visible outcomes.
In his closing remarks, Igwe urged the government to rebuild public trust, lamenting that whistleblowers are often exposed or abandoned, while offenders sometimes escape punishment or are rewarded.
Such practices, he said, discourage citizen participation and weaken national security efforts.
The programme concluded with a strong call for sustained political commitment, institutional reforms, and active citizen vigilance to dismantle the financial networks sustaining terrorism and restore security across Nigeria.