Terrorists bankrolling attacks through mining activities — Gen. Musa

Defence Minister-designate, Major General Christopher Musa (rtd), on Wednesday linked terrorism financing in Nigeria to proceeds from mining activities, calling for tighter monitoring of the sector.

Appearing before the Senate for his confirmation hearing, Musa warned that illegal mining has become a major revenue stream for armed groups and urged the government to intensify regulation and security surveillance around mining sites.

He also identified the lack of a credible national database as a serious setback in the fight against insecurity. According to him, the absence of a unified data system allows criminals to evade arrest by simply relocating to other states after committing crimes.

Musa advised state governors to stop negotiating with kidnappers, insisting that such deals are ineffective because terrorists often make commitments while under the influence of drugs and rarely honour agreements.

Reassuring lawmakers of the military’s resolve to defeat insurgency, Musa said the killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba would be thoroughly investigated by the armed forces.