Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Alhaji Yusuf Bichi, on Monday called for synergy among the nation’s security agencies to tackle terrorism financing in the country.
Alhaji Bichi stated in Abuja while declaring open a two-day workshop on Terrorism Financing Risk (TFR) designed for law enforcement agencies and judicial officers by the service.
The DSS boss who was represented by the Director, Training and Staff Development, Mr Brown Ekwoaba, pointed out that the overwhelming response from law enforcement agencies required that all hands to be on deck in order to expose the underlying criminal activities of perpetrators for arrest and prosecutions.
Bichi said beneath this expectation is a clarion call to action for improved inter-agency collaboration aimed at detecting, disrupting and preventing the abuse of the country’s financial system by terrorists and other criminal networks.
According to him, “the ever-changing nature and sophistication of threats make it imperative for security operatives to be critical thinkers in order to fashion out better and efficient ways to tackle threats.
“Among the evolving global crimes, is money laundering and terrorism financial, which requires the development of a working national anti-terrorism and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime for the country.
“Nigeria as a committed stakeholder, needs to contribute its quota in protecting the integrity and stability of the international financial system by terminating resources available to terrorists, as well as making it difficult for those engaged in crime not to profit from their criminal activities, as stipulated by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
“This process requires countries to identify, assess and understand prevailing financial risks, with a view to mitigating same.
“A nation striving for cohesion like ours, must effectively disrupt terrorist networks through the application of anti-money laundering/countering financing terrorism measures.
“Through money laundering, criminal organizations and organized crime syndicates, benefit from their illegal activities, with some utilizing cross border channels such as drug and human trafficking, arms smuggling among others.
“With criminal elements perfecting concealment of origin of illicit funds, it behooves on us, that a strengthened anti-criminal response to money laundering activities will contribute to cutting of sources of finance as well as countering the financial incentives which drive the crime.
“It is my hope that this workshop will among other things demonstrate relevant investigative techniques adopted, and to be adopted by law enforcement agencies in countering terrorism financing, as well as abilities to identify links between predicate offences and illicit financial activities.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
“While I concede that the task to combat illicit flow of funds may be daunting it is, however, not insurmountable. Therefore we must all join hands with knowledge, commitment and focus to change the tide.”
Speaking at the occasion, Director of Operations of the Service, Mr Joseph Nuhu Dashwep, said that the service had developed and implemented a variety of strategies aimed at combating terrorist threats underpinned by a decisive focus on their finances.
He said that regardless of the adoption of these measures, it should be emphasized that effective combating of financial crimes and terrorism is a collaborative effort involving all stakeholders, especially law enforcement agencies, financial intelligence units, regulatory agencies and the Judiciary.
According to him, “we must never lose sight of the complementary role each agency plays towards successful conviction of perpetrators of these crimes and their sponsors in line with Financial Action Task Force objectives.
In his own remark, the Deputy Director Legal Services, Dauda Usman, who also called for all hands to be on deck to combat the menace of terrorism financing declared that no single agency would succeed in winning the war against the menace except through collaborative efforts other agencies.
and then