Security operatives arrest major financiers of Boko Haram, other terrorists

In an ongoing nationwide crackdown on suspected financiers and partners of Boko Haram and several criminal groups in Nigeria, a number of persons have been arrested by security agents.

According to Daily Trust, the inter-agency operation is being led by a top intelligence officer and with an army general comprising military personnel and staff from intelligence services.

Security sources from the intelligence services revealed that the operations is being coordinated by Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Following this, billions of Naira traced to businesses belonging to the identified suspects have been blocked in banks in series of “post no debit” letters sent out to banks by the CBN and NFIU.

The central bank recently obtained order from the court giving the directive of freezing dozens of accounts flagged for suspicious transactions.

Reacting to this inter-agency operations, officials expressed hope that it would be a “game-changer” in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents and other identified criminal gangs while analysts said that the method adopted may not provid the needed details as terrorist and bandits operate largely outside the financial system.