Terrorists now use social media, remittance platforms to raise funds — Bukarti

Security analyst and lawyer, Dr Bulama Bukarti, has said that terrorist groups operating in Nigeria are exploiting social media, international remittance services to raise and move funds into the country.

Bukarti, who spoke on Channels Television on Tuesday, said terrorism financing was becoming more sophisticated, warning that unsuspecting Nigerians at home and abroad could unknowingly fund terrorist activities.

He said the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, report revealed how foreign-based individuals solicit donations through Telegram and Instagram, disguising appeals as humanitarian or educational support.

According to him, donations ranging from $50 to $500 are accumulated in a master account before being broken into smaller amounts and transferred to different recipients in Nigeria through international remittance platforms.

“These people are doing all of this in order to evade Nigeria’s tightening financial regulations,” he said.

Bukarti urged Nigerians to conduct checks before donating online, stressing that the warning was not against genuine humanitarian assistance.

“It is not a call for us to stop supporting humanitarian or educational appeals. It is a call for us to do our due diligence, know the person you are donating to and make sure you trust them,” he said.

He also called for stronger linkage of Bank Verification Numbers, BVN, with SIM cards, saying deceased persons’ accounts and accounts controlled by third parties had allegedly been exploited for terrorism financing.

“We need to strengthen the linkage between Bank Verification Numbers and SIM cards. The NFIU and the Nigerian Communications Commission must work together to ensure that only properly registered and verified SIM cards are linked to bank accounts and used for financial transactions.
“The only way to defeat terrorism is to follow the money,” he said.

He also warned: “People need to be careful. If someone says, ‘carry this for me’, trust them first and make sure you know what you are carrying,” he said.

On jungle justice, Bukarti said, “Jungle justice is not justice. It is injustice, and it is cruel, and it only sends a country into anarchy.”

He called for prompt investigations and prosecutions, saying law-enforcement failures did not justify mob action.

“The failure by government or security and law enforcement agencies doesn’t justify jungle justice,” he said.

Bukarti also called for a multinational security pact between Nigeria, Niger and Benin to tackle emerging terrorist corridors.

“Nigeria needs to do more,” he said, adding that cutting terrorists’ financial lifelines was crucial.