That Abu Dhabi Exposé

Last year, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was reported to have convicted six Nigerian bureau de change operators for their involvement in the transfer of $782,000 from Dubai through undercover proxies in Nigeria to finance Boko Haram insurgency between 2015 and 2016 .
The government in Abu Dhabi had written to encourage Abuja uncover two of these proxies, noting that one of them is believed to be a top government official. The convicts were among 47 individuals and corporate bodies arraigned in Abu Dhabi, the country’s capital.
Nigeria is not more Islamic than UAE. And even as the Arab nation is not known to be under any terrorist attack, she appears to have taken a more serious anti-terrorist stance – arresting and promptly prosecuting people who merely engaged in financial transfers to international terror groups.
Since 2009, Nigeria has been in the throes of insurgency by the terrorist Boko Haram group, leading to the sacking of many peaceful communities across the North East. The Islamist group which detests Western education had in 2014 abducted about 276 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State. While some were released after a year, a little less than half the number still remains in captivity. Four years later, a similar fate befell some girls of Government Girls Science and Technical School in Dapchi, Yobe State. Of all the students herded away in that early morning raid, only Leah Sharibu is still held back on account of her refusal to renounce her Christian faith.
Boko Haram has over the years spread its influence from the Lake Chad area to entrench itself in Nigeria’s Sambisa Forest from where it harasses communities in the BAY states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. In fact, it was once reported that the terrorist group controlled no fewer than 27 local council areas in these states. There was also a time residents of Abuja felt its long reach, as evidenced by the United Nations Office and Nyanya bombings.
Boko Haram leader, Muhammadu Yusuf, was said to have been captured by Nigerian military forces in the early years of the insurgency and handed over to internal security agencies but had reportedly died in detention. His death was not investigated, raising suspicion that he may have been silenced by some powerful persons who feared that he might squeal on them.
On the day of his inauguration, President Buhari had in his acceptance speech directed the military command head office of the counter-insurgency operations to relocate from Abuja to Maiduguri. Expectedly, Nigerians had cheered in the hope that, coming from an ex-Army General, such move would help to achieve a quick and decisive routing of the fundamentalist group. But after six years, how far?
It has never been in doubt that Boko Haram collaborators abound in the Nigerian military and other security forces. This is just as there are politicians and wealthy businessmen who are covertly sponsoring the insurgents. Recall that in 2011, Senator Ali Ndume of Bornu South was quizzed by security agents after a suspected Boko Haram spokesman, Ali Konduga, alleged that the senator paid him to send threatening text messages to some judges and top politicians. Ndume simply denied the allegation and was let go.
The only thing that has remained shrouded is whether or not a link exists between terrorism and the wide spreading banditry in the land. Equally unclear is the reason for government’s reluctance to prosecute suspected terrorists and bandits. For instance, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation has continued to drag its feet over the arraignment of about 800 suspected insurgents. At a point, it found valid excuse in the recent judiciary workers strike. But the courts have since reopened and only heaven knows why the process is still on hold.
Countries that are serious with tackling terrorism go to any length to achieve their objective. For example, President George W. Bush had in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US addressed the nation thus:
“Tonight, we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our grief has turned to anger, and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.”
And has justice been done! At least, with the elimination of Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader and suspected mastermind of the attacks, along with most of his top lieutenants by American forces.
Even long before him, in 1942, shortly after Japan bombed Pearl Harbour – prompting America to join World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt had authorised that Japanese-Americans resident on the Pacific West Coast be processed and moved to internment camps located inland. The US Supreme Court was said to have upheld this constitutional violation. However, after about five decades, the Congress did render public apologies in 1988 while also voting reparation to surviving victims.
Apart from its recent sale of six A-29 Super Tucano jets to Nigeria, the US government was also said to have indicated its willingness to release to the latter a list of those funding Boko Haram. Mary Leonard is the US ambassador in Nigeria. She recently came short of expressing her frustration with some government officials in Abuja after more than three meetings to finalise discussions on this issue.
Nigerians have since clamoured for the names of suspected sponsors of Boko Haram to be made public, including the 400 whom Malami said he was going to prosecute about five months ago. But Mr. President will hear none of that. His media aide, Femi Adeshina, said the government was not interested in ‘naming and shaming’ any suspects but would rather investigate and prosecute them.
Good talk, Mr. Adeshina. Maybe the CBN has also decided to suspend its threat to ‘name and shame’ those who misapplied their forex purchases. Or have we not heard AMCON and some banks threaten to ‘name and shame’ customers with non-performing loans? What’s more, suspected armed robbers, kidnappers and other criminals are being paraded in front of media cameras every day. Who really is protecting Nigerians’ killers and their sponsors?

By: Ibelema Jumbo