Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Salihu Ali, the Theatre Commander of the North East Joint Task Force for Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), said that the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN) recent re-design of the naira has contributed to stifling terrorist activities in the North East.
He made this statement on Tuesday while answering questions from members of the Borno State Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) about the impact of the new cash swap policy at the OPHK headquarters in Maiduguri.
Ali explained that the CBN's policy has made it difficult for terrorists to move money around, as their cash is no longer accepted in banks. This has forced them to rely on alternative, riskier methods of transferring funds, which has made it easier for the security forces to track their activities.
Despite concerns about the new policy, Ali stressed that it was necessary for the security and stability of the region. He noted that the task force is working closely with the CBN to ensure that the policy is implemented effectively and does not cause undue hardship for civilians.
“On the money swap issue, I think it’s a good policy, it’s helping, and you can see, of course, the case of kidnapping since the implementation of the policy has drastically reduced.
“On the part of the terrorists, what we are getting now is some of them are kidnapping people in these areas forcing them to give them ransom in cash and foodstuff because they don’t have access to these things. So, it’s a very good policy that needs to be sustained,” he said.
The commandant said that they were aware of the video on social media that showed terrorists threatening to attack people on election day and that the operation would be used to stop it.
He said that terrorists often make videos like this when significant events like elections are going on. Ali asked the media to work with him more to stop the Boko Haram uprising and other acts of terrorism in the country.
Dauda Illiya, the state chairman of NUJ, thanked the military for working with the media and asked them to keep up the good relationship.