Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has stated that denying bandits and criminals financial access, hard drugs, and firearms will reduce their heinous activities.
As a guest at the 1st Summit of the Forum of the Financial Intelligence Units of GIABA Member States (FFIU-GMS) held at the Aso Villa Banquet Hall in Abuja, Governor Sani Bello stated this.
He condemned criminal elements’ activities, alleging that they were aided by money laundering and terrorism financing.
Niger State being one of the states at the forefront of banditry and other criminal activities have seen it all, he said.
The governor added that there has been a movement of funds to purchase arms as well as related activities in money laundering.
The easiest way to curtail or cut down these activities is by blocking the finances of these criminals, he said.
He added that the availability of drugs and funds was supporting the bandits and other criminals to be terrorizing people.
I am sure you are aware that terrorism and banditry activities are related to money laundering.
First of all, there is the need to track the movement of funds to stop the purchase of firearms and drugs. From my experience, one thing I noticed is that drugs play a major role in this insecurity because most of the insurgents are mostly intoxicated with hard drugs, he explained.
He praised the Forum’s activities, saying that corporations among member countries will ensure better intelligence sharing for a more secure environment.
Other speakers at the event included Mr Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and Prof Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.
They all emphasized the importance of increasing information sharing to prevent terrorism financing and put an end to bandits’ activities.
The Forum, which was established in 2013, includes 15 ECOWAS member countries as well as two non-ECOWAS members, Sào Tomè and the Union of Comoros.
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