Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Defence, Jimi Benson, has explained why the federal government cannot openly expose terrorism financiers in Nigeria, despite growing public pressure for transparency.
Speaking on Prime Time on Arise Television, Benson revealed that many individuals’ funding terrorism have been under security watch “for a very long time,” with agencies actively tracking and identifying them.
“The financiers of terrorists in Nigeria cannot be tried in public, a lot of them are under scrutiny for a very long time now. By scrutiny, I mean tried and identified.
Some of them are local, and some are international. The government has done a lot in recent times.
The public cannot know who they are because of security,” he said.
Benson stressed that although Nigerians may not see the full details, critical work is underway behind closed doors to monitor and curb terrorism financing.
He assured citizens that the government has made significant progress in weakening the networks involved.
According to him, many suspected financiers are already stepping back from their activities as security pressure mounts.
“A lot of them can’t think of financing anybody anymore. I can assure you that work is in progress.
A responsible government will deal with these people at the appropriate time,” he added.
Benson also highlighted the role of global partners in the ongoing investigation, saying, the government is actively tracking and prosecuting these individuals, and there is significant international assistance to ensure they are brought to justice.
