CSO Calls For Intelligence Gathering Against Terrorism Financing

A group, Civil Society Groups for Good Governance (CSGGG) has called for strategic intelligence gathering and collaboration among security agencies in the country to end alleged connivance on terrorism financing.

The chief of defence staff, General Christopher Musa, had earlier disclosed that some Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East planned attacks from the prison in connivance with prison warders.

However, addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, the president of CSGGG, Chief Ogakwu Dominic,  while acknowledging the gravity of the information shared by General Musa during a public hearing, expressed concern over the public nature of such allegations.

Dominic said the CSO believes that inter-agency collaboration is crucial in the fight against terrorism, and discreet engagement between the military and NCoS would have been more effective in addressing the issue.

“Coordination, management, and utilisation of information are key in waging the war against terrorists, and public disclosure hampers the covert operations necessary for success,” he said.

Dominic urged Musa to refer to the National Crisis Management Doctrine (NCMD) for coordinated crisis management.

Acknowledging the swift response of the minister of interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in launching an investigation into NCoS officials, Dominic also commended the initiative to free 4,000 inmates, relieving pressure on current NCoS manpower for better performance.

He also called on President Bola Tinubu to support the infrastructural revolution of the nation’s correctional facilities, emphasising the need for modernisation to align with international best practices.

While commending the sacrifices of the military in ensuring internal security and sovereignty, he called for collaboration on de-radicalisation efforts, emphasising the NCoS’ exclusive right in this regard.

Addressing the National Assembly, Dominic called for a reconsideration of their approach to security issues, stressing the importance of avoiding the public disclosure of sensitive information that aids insecurity.

Dominic asserted that “security is a collective business requiring collaboration among various stakeholders. It behooves the military to collaborate with the NCoS and save the nation from embarrassment.”