By Gabriel Ameh
Nigeria has called on the African Union (AU) to strengthen efforts to block illicit financial flows that continue to finance terrorism and violent extremism across the continent.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the appeal while addressing the 1354th Meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) at the ministerial level, held virtually.
She warned that access to illegal financial resources remains one of the greatest enablers of terrorist organisations, allowing them to recruit vulnerable youths, procure sophisticated weapons and sustain violent operations across Africa.
“A major obstacle to progress in the fight against terrorism in Africa is access to illicit funds. It facilitates the recruitment of youths and the procurement of lethal weapons by terrorist groups,” the minister said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged African countries to deepen international cooperation to prevent, trace, recover and return proceeds of illicit financial flows, stressing that dismantling terrorist financing networks is critical to improving security on the continent.
She reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to working closely with neighbouring countries through intelligence sharing, improved border security and coordinated military operations to combat terrorism.
The minister also raised concerns over the growing sophistication of terrorist groups, noting that they now exploit commercially available technologies, including drones and digital platforms, while generating income through kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining and other criminal activities.
She warned that the worsening security situation in parts of West Africa has contributed to political instability, including unconstitutional changes of government, and called on the African Union to confront the increasing operational freedom enjoyed by extremist groups.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged member states to implement commitments reached at the 2022 Malabo Extraordinary Summit on Counter-Terrorism and the resolutions adopted during the 2024 High-Level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting hosted in Abuja.
She also cautioned against portraying Africa as the global centre of terrorism, warning that such narratives could lead to discrimination and unfair profiling of innocent Africans travelling abroad.
Highlighting Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts, the minister said the country has combined military operations with non-military strategies, including targeting terrorist financiers, rehabilitating and reintegrating repentant fighters, expanding education, improving infrastructure, empowering young people and partnering with traditional and religious leaders to counter extremist ideologies.
She further called on the international community to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism by preventing non-state actors from accessing arms, drones, dual-use technologies and other sophisticated weapons used to fuel attacks across Africa.
The meeting was chaired by Uganda’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Haruna Kasolo, in his capacity as Chairperson of the AU Peace and Security Council for July 2026.
