The Chief of Defence Standards and Evaluations at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Major General Adekunle Ariyibi, has stated that Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in Nigeria are being financed by foreign collaborators.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Ariyibi highlighted that the foreign support for Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) has significantly contributed to the prolonged fight against terrorism in the country.
Ariyibi commented on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, saying Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP)’s foreign backing is one of the reasons the war against terrorism has lingered in Nigeria.
“There’s no doubt about it that this sort of operation cannot be sustainable for the past 15 years without some sort of external collaboration and assistance,” he said on Monday’s edition of the breakfast show.
“It’s obvious that the operations of Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP) have metamorphosized since their allegiance with ISIS, and they have had access to international funding which is beyond the shores of Nigeria. It’s obvious in the caliber of weapons you see them display. It’s obvious in the sort of sustainability plans that they have. Right now, they are moving into drones and not only surveillance drones but also drones that can deliver lethal weaponry.”
Ndume Calls For Probe
Recently, US Congressman Scott Perry claimed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had allegedly funded terrorist organizations like Boko Haram. This assertion has sparked widespread debate in Nigeria and internationally.
General Adekunle Ariyibi has echoed similar sentiments, affirming that terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram receive backing from foreign entities, further complicating efforts to combat terrorism.
“So, there’s no doubt about it that this is the lifeline which is sustaining these operations beyond the local collections that they make on taxing and all of that,” Major General Ariyibi argued.
Following Perry’s comment, Senator Ali Ndume asked the Federal Government to probe the claim.
“You can’t say it’s just an allegation; it’s more than that,” Ndume who is the former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics. “That’s why the Nigerian government and the National Assembly, especially, need to look into it to investigate and verify the veracity of such a very weighty allegation.”
In 2024, the Federal Government named some persons and and Bureau de Change (BDCs) as terrorism funders. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates and the US had at some point frozen the assets of some persons over links to terrorism funding.