Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, stated that African leaders will approach the international community in efforts to halt the illegal mining of resources in the continent which is being used to fund terrorists’ activities.
The President stated this at the opening ceremony of the African Counter-Terrorism Summit in Abuja, noting that the African region must be strengthened to include existing counter-terrorism structures, such as the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU) in Abuja, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) in Algiers, and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Speaking further, President Tinubu said terrorism must be banished, as the menace threatens farmers from their farms, children from their schools, and businesswomen from their sources of livelihood, thereby putting society and government into confusion and disarray.
He added that the fight against terrorism required a collective approach and that the root causes must be addressed.
“Look at the illegal mining that plagues so many of our nations today. Those who think illegal mining has no connection with financing terrorism are sorely mistaken. The international community has both the moral and legal obligation to help in this cause because it is external finance, not African money, that fuels these illegal operations. We shall be knocking on the door of the international community to answer this call for justice, peace, and fair play”, he stated.
He also renewed a call for the strengthening of regional standby force, which will serve as a rapid deployment tool in combating both existing and emerging threats, while also serving as a deterrence to large-scale weapon smuggling.
He underscored the importance of a regional standby force that includes tackling terrorism as part of its mandate, declaring: “It must not be abandoned”. “Key to our collective efforts against terrorism is the urgent need for a fully operational Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre,” the President stated.
On efforts Nigeria is making to beat the menace of terrorism, President Tinubu said the nation’s counter-terrorism capabilities have been enhanced through the enactment of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, establishing the National Counter Terrorism Centre, (NCTC).
He further affirmed that Nigeria was committed to working with regional partners to strengthen arms control measures, enhance border security, and disrupt the illicit trafficking networks that fuel terrorism and organised crime, while urging firm and expeditious actions against prevailing insecurity on the continent.
