The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, has disclosed that the federal government is working towards tracking and identifying the financiers of terrorism, which has continued to thrive in Nigeria for decades.

The general revealed this while speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday. According to him, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, the Department of State Services and the National Intelligence Agency have begun tracking terror financiers.

He, however, noted that they have encountered some legal hurdles that have slowed down the process of revealing the identities of the terrorism financiers.

“The process of naming terrorism financiers is on. Just last week, the AGF and others went to check. It has to do with legal issues and international connections. Some of them get funds from outside.

“The NFIU has been doing so much; arrests have been made, and prosecutions have started. Those behind the Owo bombing are already facing trial,” said the Chief of Defence Staff.

Between January and March 2025, no fewer than 2,000 Nigerians were killed in violent attacks across Nigeria.

According to the Humangle tracker, a tracking platform that monitors security trends and violent attacks across Nigeria, no fewer than 635 people lost their lives in May 2025. Several communities have witnessed violent spates of attacks since the year began.

The CDS compared the wave of insecurity in 2025 with that of the previous year, and noted that there is a spike in the number of violent attacks in 2025 compared to the figure recorded in 2024.

He attributed this to the preparations for the 2027 election, which is less than two years away.

“Last year, we recorded the lowest number of deaths. How come this year, suddenly, everything has spiked? Politics is coming, the election is coming. You cannot rule out the fact that some people are controlling these criminals to ensure there is no peace, and governance is discredited.

But the funny thing is, how do you kill the people you want to govern? What do you gain from it?” he queried.