BOKO HARAM AND ANSARU JOIN FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANISATIONS

The United States has  formally designated  the fundamentalist Islamic militant groups,  Boko Haram and Ansaru,  as “Foreign Terrorist Organisations under Section 219 of its  Immigration and Nationality Act.It also  classified them as  Designated Global Terrorists under section 1(b) of  Executive Order 13224.The White House, in a statement on Wednesday, explained that the designation constituted only a tool in  a comprehensive approach by the Nigerian government  towards curbing the activities of the terror groups.The statement   quoted Lisa Monaco, the   adviser on homeland security and counterterrorism  to President Barack  Obama, as  saying that the latest development had demonstrated the support of the White House for the war against the groups in Nigeria.It  explained that with  their designation  as FTOs and  SDGTs,   financial institutions in the US had  been empowered to freeze the assets of Boko Haram and Ansaru.It  also stated that the designation  would  allow  the US  and  its  law enforcement partners    to investigate and prosecute terror  suspects associated with Boko Haram and Ansaru.