Defense Minister Christopher Musa says Nigeria’s military is increasingly targeting the financial and logistical networks that sustain terrorist and criminal groups as part of an updated strategy against asymmetric warfare.
Musa said troops and intelligence agencies had weakened the ability of major terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram and ISWAP, to conduct the type of large-scale attacks previously seen against communities and military positions.
Those operational assessments are based on official government claims and have not been independently verified in the supplied material.
The minister said the security environment had shifted from structured insurgent operations toward smaller cells increasingly dependent on abductions, kidnappings and other criminal activity to raise funds.
He warned residents against providing terrorists with information about troop movements, supplies or other logistical support.
Musa said security agencies were working with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to trace illicit financing routed through proxy accounts, online crowdfunding and cryptocurrency.
He also said Nigeria was drawing on international counter-terrorism financing tools following engagement with the United States State Department.
According to the minister, those measures were intended to isolate foreign extremist influence from local affiliates and reduce the financial resources available for attacks.
Musa also linked some increases in security incidents to periods preceding major political cycles and questioned whether insecurity could be manipulated for political purposes.
That suggestion is the minister’s assessment and no evidence establishing political sponsorship was presented in the supplied material.
He said security forces were preparing to ensure that political campaigns could proceed without disruption.
The minister also acknowledged that defeating extremist groups required more than battlefield pressure because ideological radicalization remained a core component of asymmetric warfare.
Government says the updated strategy combines offensive military operations with financial disruption, intelligence cooperation and measures aimed at preventing recruitment and logistical support.
