Reps To FG: Name and Prosecute Terror Financiers Now

By TOSAN OYAKHILOME-AKAHOMEN

THE House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to publicly identify, sanction and prosecute all individuals and entities financing terrorism and banditry, insisting that transparency is essential to ending spiralling insecurity across Nigeria.

The demand formed part of the House’s resolutions on national security reform following its three-day special plenary convened in response to rising mass abductions and violent attacks nationwide. Summarising the recommendations, House Leader Julius Ihonvbere said, “It is time we know them, we name them, we prosecute them, and put an end to this question of funding of terrorism.”

While adopting the report on Wednesday, lawmakers urged the creation of a special court dedicated exclusively to terrorism, banditry and kidnapping cases, arguing that specialised judicial attention would ensure faster and more transparent trials. Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the session, cited the recent trial of Nnamdi Kanu as evidence of the need for openness in all terrorism-related proceedings.

The House also recommended introducing a digital national tracking system for all weapons held by security agencies, backed by strict accountability measures and a full audit of government-owned firearms. Kalu noted that many weapons used by terrorists originate from “backdoor access to government equipment,” stressing that every firearm must be traceable.

Lawmakers further urged massive recruitment into the armed forces to meet current operational challenges and called for improved salaries and welfare packages for security personnel, arguing that frontline agencies need both manpower and motivation to counter escalating threats.