Boko Haram: Zulum Challenges FG After UAE Jailed Nigerian Sponsors |The Source

By Fola James

Governor Babagana Zulum has praised the conviction of some Nigerians believed to be sponsors of dreaded terrorist group, Boko Haram by an Abu Dhabi Appeal Court.

Zulum whose state is the epicenter of insurgency in the country said the federal government should liaise more with the government of the United Arab Emirates, UAE to find out more about the terrorists’ financiers.

His charge came amidst appeals by families of the convicts to the government to intervene to prove their innocence. The federal government said the convicts can still appeal to the UAE Supreme court for remedy after an Abu Dhabi appeal court upheld the conviction of the Nigerians for allegedly supplying almost N300m to fund Boko Haram.

The convicts, according to the court, allegedly used bureau de change operations to send $782,000 to Boko Haram in 17 separate transfers from Dubai to Nigeria between 2015 and 2016.

The Borno Governor said the conviction has opened a new vista to ending insurgency, but however, stated that the convicts can still prove their innocence by appealing to a higher court.

The statement by the governor’s spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau said, “Governor Babagana Umara Zulum is glad that for the first time in 11 years, there appears to be headway on tracking some alleged financiers of Boko Haram’s activities which has left thousands of citizens killed, millions displaced and private property and public institutions worth 9 billion dollars destroyed in Borno, other parts of the northeast and Nigeria at large.

“Zulum urged the Federal Government to consider setting up a multi-stakeholder team with trusted representatives from the Federal Ministries of Justice, Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, NIA, the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA, the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad, and the ECOWAS Intergovernmental Action Group on Terrorism Financing in West Africa, to assiduously work with the UAE Government to look into the issues raised by families crying foul play, and more importantly, to follow-up on the findings by the UAE with the hope of using the intelligence, if authenticated, to expand search on other Boko Haram sponsors that may be helping in similar ways.”

Since he came into office last year, Governor Zulum has criticised the military’s handling of the insurgency, with the nation’s armed forces fighting back.

The governor who has also been attacked by the terrorists, at least thrice, and almost killed in one of those occasions, while moving around the state has vowed not to relent until peace retuns to the state.