As the fight against violence and extremism intensifies, stakeholders have advocated communities’ involvement as one of the latest ways to finding lasting solutions to the problems.
The Advocacy and Communications Specialist Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre President Abubakar Jimoh told Arewa PUNCH in Gombe that with community involvement, terrorism financing and money laundering would be reduced in the North-east.
Arewa PUNCH reports that the stakeholders arrived at this resolution in Gombe at the end of a two-day workshop organised by CISLAC, Transparency International and Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa for community leaders, civil society organisations, faith-based groups and security agencies.
Jimoh said, “We are here to talk about the community mobilisation against terrorist extremism, terrorism and financing in the North-East.
“This project is fundamentally about the community because the previous intervention and engagements have excluded the community focusing on state and non-state actors. We don’t look at the preventive measures because the communities have not been carried along.”
While decrying the lack of involvement of communities, Jimoh stressed, “They can be sensitised to know how terrorism starts, the signals and the appropriate reporting channel. Some community members are involved in terrorism without knowing they are aiding it. Our role is to make them aware of these challenges.”
Sani Yakubu, a Senior Lecturer, Federal College of Education Technical Gombe, told Arewa PUNCH that the country and the region lacked leaders who would ensure that values are upheld.
He said, “What is missing is sincerity of purpose, quality leadership, and negligence; all of which have allowed for the destruction of our cultural values by external forces.
“When there is a high level of patriotism, hardly will they allow violent extremism in their environment. They will devise the means of curtailing it internally and externally.”
On the impact of terrorism, Yakubu maintained that “Presently, many are displaced. The impact is very high. Reporting at the early stage is imperative to preventing it. The North-east Development Commission has tried well enough to reduce the effect.”
He debunked insinuations that security agencies are aiding insecurity, defending thus,”It’s not from the security operatives but from their regulatory and government agencies they are not being funded enough. The weapons they are using are old-fashioned while these guys have sophisticated ones. Our security architecture is perfect only that the logistics are not there for them to perform.
Speaking earlier in an address of welcome, Gombe State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Muhammad Bello, linked enablers of terrorism financing to include poor financial regulations, corruption among others.
“There is inadequate financial regulation, and oversight makes it easier for terrorists to launder money and move funds across borders.
“Corruption within the governments and financial institutions can facilitate the movement of terrorist funds.
“Limited collaboration and information sharing between countries hinder the ability to track and intercept terrorist financing.
“The use of sophisticated technology, such as encrypted communications and dark web marketplaces, help terrorists to evade detection,” Bello further outlined.
