NDC Launches Landmark Capstone Course to Strengthen Strategic Response to Terrorism Financing and Regional Security Threats
The National Defence College (NDC) has launched a ground-breaking capstone course aimed at enhancing strategic understanding and inter-agency capabilities in countering the financing of terrorism (CFT), a critical enabler of insecurity in Nigeria and across the West African region. Speaking at the inauguration of the Countering the Financing of Terrorism and Regional Security Course 1/2025, the Commandant of NDC, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Olotu, emphasised the urgent need to bolster national and regional efforts in disrupting the financial lifelines that sustain terrorist operations. “Nigeria and its neighbours are at a pivotal point in the fight against terrorism,” the Commandant stated. “Research has consistently shown that one of the most resilient enablers of terrorist activity is the complex and clandestine financing networks supporting recruitment, logistics, and operational expansion.”
Rear Admiral Olotu noted that the new course, organised by the Centre for Strategic Research and Studies (CSRS) at the NDC, represents another major stride in the college’s ongoing mission to deliver strategic-level training and policy-relevant research. “This initiative is not just a financial or legal endeavour. It’s a vital part of our broader national and regional security architecture,” he added, calling for greater collaboration among armed forces, law enforcement agencies, intelligence services, ministries, departments, agencies, and the private sector, particularly financial institutions. The course convenes participants from a wide range of sectors to foster coordinated approaches to counterterrorism financing, while reinforcing Nigeria’s commitment to regional security cooperation and resilience.
In his remarks, the Provost of CSRS, Professor Adams Ahmed, described the course as timely and essential in today’s security environment, where terrorism is increasingly intertwined with transnational crime, illicit financial flows, cyber threats, and regional instability. “Groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Al-Qaida continue to exploit diverse funding channels, from ransom kidnappings and illegal mining to new financial technologies and informal transfer systems,” Ahmed explained. “Disrupting these networks is vital not just for national defence, but also for regional stability and economic sustainability.”
He further urged greater involvement from commercial banks and financial institutions to detect and block terrorist financing mechanisms that evade conventional counterterrorism tools.
