Terrorist thrive on funds from illegal goldmine, says CDS

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Christopher Musa has revealed that terrorists use funds from illegally mined gold to sustain their operations.

Speaking on a national television programme yesterday, he explained that it was difficult to immediately expose or prosecute terror financiers from within because of their complex networks and international connections.

Gen. Musa also spoke on the capturing of Ansaru terror leaders, the current security situations in the Southeast and Southern Kaduna and oil theft in the Niger Delta.

When asked about the main source of financing for terror groups, the defence chief replied, “Gold. They try to circulate this money, and that is why it is important for us to be able to track these things.

“The process is on. It has to do with a lot of legal issues, and because it has to do with international connections, some of them have funds coming from outside, we cannot do anything from within.”

The CDS added that locally, terror groups receive money daily from some individuals hired by them.

“The local ones, what they do normally is that they try to employ a few individuals, provide motorcycles to them, something to do, and those are remitting funds daily into some account,” he said.

Gen. Musa attributed the recent capture of the leaders to thorough planning by the Nigerian Air Force(NAF), the Nigerian Army(NA), the Nigerian Navy, the Directorate of Military Intelligence(DMI) and the Department of State Services(DSS).

He said: “What has changed is that we have synergy with all the organisations… and that is why we have seen all the successes.

“On the terrorist commanders who were arrested. This is one of the most significant arrests that we have made.

They key leaders arrested are: Mahmud Muhammad Usman of Ansaru and Mahmud al-Nigeri of the Mahmuda group.

Gen. Musa added: “Getting the two of them shows how detailed and how the planning went through, and that was how they were able to pick the two of them.

“These are guys that were haunted for a very long time. It shows that intelligence and operational work are working together.”

Musa, who explained that military personnel worked covertly day and night before “picking the guys,’’ assured that the war against terrorists and other non-state actors is going to be better.’’

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National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu had last week announced the arrest of the terror leaders.

The duo headed Ansaru, an al-Qaeda-linked group, and Mahmuda, a relatively new and lesser-known militant group. Mahmuda gained national prominence after a string of attacks earlier this year in the North-Central.

The defence chief said insecurity has notably decreased all over the country.