President Bola Tinubu said his government has prosecuted over 100 financiers of terrorism in the fight against financial crimes and terrorism financing in the last two years.

Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume, said this yesterday at the National Anti-Money Laundering, Combating Terrorism Financing and Counter-Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) Compliance Summit, organised by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in Abuja.

According to him, the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Attorney General of the Federation played strategic roles in the prosecution.

The President said the government’s strategy of targeting the financiers of Boko Haram and ISWAP helped a lot.

He said: “We have made progress in tackling the threats of terrorism and other violent crimes through the gallant action of our frontline troops and our security agencies.

“However, in line with the National Counter-Terrorist Financing Strategy, we have also enhanced our abilities to identify and pursue those individuals that finance these violent acts.

“Through the efforts of the office of the National Security Adviser and the Attorney General of the Federation, we have prosecuted and convicted over 100 terrorist financiers in the last two years.

“By taking away the funds, resources, and material support behind Boko Haram and ISWAP we are denying them the ability to inflict terror on our communities and citizens.

We are creating an environment in which our rural areas will thrive once again.”

Tinubu said the approach of targeting the finances and following the money is recognised as a global best practice in combating serious crime.

He said: “It is an approach that we are utilising as a fundamental component of our national strategies to combat serious criminal offences.

Beyond terrorist financing, we are effectively targeting the illicit proceeds of criminal activity.”

He also said his administration invested heavily in upgrading the capacity of the police, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), saying the investments led to increased convictions and a more effective crackdown on organised crime networks.