he growth and continued spread of terrorism world-wide has been accentuated by the important role played by finance. Terrorist organisations will not survive for long without finance because terrorism is an expensive venture which requires constant supply of money for its sustenance. While the terrorists of old relied on crude implements such as daggers and knives which could easily be sourced, today’s terrorists often need more sophisticated weapons for their operations. Terrorist organisations also require money to run their camps, feed their members and plan and carry out attacks on their targets. Although it may be conceded that cutting off the source of terror financing may not completely eradicate terrorism, it may affect the frequency and magnitude of attacks undertaken by terrorist groups. This article analyses the role of finance in the activities of terrorist organisations, with emphasis on the Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria and the attempts by the Nigerian government to curb the activities of this and other similar groups in the country through the use of law. Relying on doctrinal sources, the article concludes that more needs to be done to effectively cut off the various sources of finance open to terrorist organisations in Nigeria.
