Founder of the Community Development and Rights Advocacy Foundation, Steven Kefas, has raised alarm over what he described as a growing and coordinated security threat in Nigeria, alleging that foreign fighters and weapons are flowing into the country while kidnapping ransoms are used to finance arms purchases.
Kefas made the claims on Thursday while speaking on Channels Television, where he alleged that about three trailer-loads of Lakurawa fighters entered Sokoto State from the Sahel region through Niger in August last year without any intervention from authorities.
According to him, the influx of fighters is sustained by a well-organised funding system driven by kidnapping and ransom payments.
He said a close associate who spent about four months in captivity before regaining freedom in October last year revealed that arms suppliers often arrive at terrorist camps on the same day ransom payments are made.
“The very day ransom is paid, arms suppliers show up in the camp, and the money is immediately used to purchase weapons,” Kefas said, adding that the revelation followed a three-hour debriefing session with the former captive.
Kefas explained that the pattern shows kidnapping has become a deliberate strategy for raising funds to acquire arms, warning that the trend suggests the insecurity may persist if not urgently tackled.
“It means this criminality, this terrorism, is not going to end anytime soon,” he said. “I used to wonder what these terrorists do with the money, because they don’t build houses or live flashy lives. But the answer is clear: the money is for weapons.”
He further alleged that fighters continue to enter Nigeria from countries such as Mali and Niger, while ransom payments provide a steady stream of funding for weapons acquisition, enabling terrorist groups to expand their operations across the country.
Kefas noted that insecurity has now spread to states previously considered less affected, including Kwara and Kogi, which he said are increasingly witnessing similar criminal activities.
He also raised concerns over what he described as targeted attacks and land occupation in parts of Kaduna State, particularly Kajuru Local Government Area.
According to him, about 177 worshippers were abducted from churches on a Sunday in Kajuru, while previous attacks have resulted in deaths during church services. He claimed that nearly 40 communities in the area have been displaced, with some reportedly occupied by terrorists.
“It is a complex issue that the government is not really handling properly,” Kefas said, warning that the combination of foreign fighters, arms proliferation, and ransom-funded terrorism poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s future security.
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