The funding of Boko Haram and Nigeria's actions to stop it

Abstract

Since 9/11, the United States and the international community have taken numerous steps to combat the financing of terrorism. Terrorist organizations have adapted and become innovative to ensure their monetary funds are secure and undetectable. Boko Haram is one organization that has found ways to ensure its finances are almost undetectable. Over the past 12 years, Boko Haram has become a powerful and destructive violent extremist organization while obtaining millions of dollars in funding. The United States and the international community must look for ways to disrupt Boko Haram's financial apparatus outside conventional counterthreat finance measures. The goal of this paper is to examine Boko Haram's finances and the steps that have been taken to stop its funding, including identifying what, if any, new approaches can be used to prevent the ongoing funding of Boko Haram.