Nigeria TV Info 

Abduction crisis: NASS asks FG to name terrorism financiers

What happened

The National Assembly (NASS) has demanded that the Federal Government of Nigeria (FG) publicly reveal and prosecute individuals financing terrorism, banditry and kidnappings — in response to the growing spate of abductions across the country.

During Wednesday’s plenary sessions, both arms of NASS — the Senate of Nigeria and the House of Representatives of Nigeria — adopted resolutions urging the FG to name, sanction, and prosecute financiers, sponsors, logistics providers, informants and all those who facilitate kidnappings and terrorism.

 Legislative push & proposed measures

• The Senate has advanced an amendment to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, seeking to classify kidnapping, hostage-taking and related crimes as acts of terrorism. If passed, kidnappers — and anyone who finances, enables or provides information to them — could face capital punishment without option of fine.
• The bill has been referred to committees on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters; National Security & Intelligence; and Interior, which are to report back in two weeks.
• The House concurrently called for the creation of a special court for terrorism, banditry and kidnapping cases, strengthened penalties for arms trafficking and illegal weapons possession, and enhanced scrutiny of financial and money-laundering channels — including stricter regulation of cash-based economies and promotion of cashless transactions.

 Why this matter now: scale of the crisis

Lawmakers emphasized that kidnapping in Nigeria has evolved into “coordinated, commercialised and militarised acts of violence perpetrated by organised criminal groups,” with manifestations across highways, farms, markets, schools, and even worship centres.

Incidents of mass abductions — including of schoolchildren and churchgoers — have triggered widespread alarm, prompting calls for a robust legal and institutional framework that targets not just perpetrators, but also the financiers, sponsors, and enablers who sustain these criminal networks.

 FG stance & what to expect next

The FG has previously identified and listed several individuals and entities as alleged terrorism financiers — including some Bureau-de-Change (BDC) operators and trading firms — under the mandate of the Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NSC) and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

In addition, the Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff, recently stated that efforts to identify financiers are ongoing, pointing to legal and international-link complexities as reasons for delays — though he asserted that “we know them.”

With the renewed pressure from NASS, the FG may accelerate and expand its disclosures. The proposed legislative amendments aim to broaden the scope of terrorism-related offences to explicitly include kidnapping and hostage-taking, potentially enabling more aggressive prosecution of sponsors.

 Why this matters for Nigerians

• Accountability & deterrence: Naming and prosecuting financiers could shrink the financial lifelines that sustain kidnappings, banditry and terrorist networks.
• Legal clarity: Reclassifying kidnapping as terrorism creates stronger legal basis for prosecution and harsher penalties.
• Systemic reform: Calls for regulation of financial flows (e.g., stricter BDC oversight, cashless payment push) may plug money-laundering loopholes exploited by criminal networks.
• Public trust & security: Transparency on who funds these crimes can build public confidence and strengthen community resilience against abductions.