1st September, 2014
Allegations by Stephen Davis, an Australian hostage negotiator, that Boko Haram is being funded by prominent politicians via the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, are troubling and must be investigated.
Davis, who spent four months negotiating with Boko Haram on behalf of the Nigerian government to free the over 200 abducted Chibok schoolgirls, alleged in an interview that prominent politicians are sponsors of Boko Haram and the money passes through the CBN and appears to be legal.
According to him, the official in charge of the transactions currently works in the currency operations division of Nigeria’s apex bank.
Davis said one of the biggest suppliers of arms and military uniforms to Boko Haram currently lives in Cairo, Egypt. He said he is the recipient of money sent by political sponsors from Nigeria. The funds, he alleged, go through the CBN’s financial system and appear to be a legal transactions.
We believe that the allegations are too weighty to be ignored or swept under the carpet, given the massive havoc Boko Haram has wreaked across the country since 2009 when the insurgency began.
The allegations and conspiracy theory go to confirm the statement by President Goodluck Jonathan some time ago that Boko Haram members were in his government.
The Federal Government must open an immediate investigation into these allegations and pick up the culprits. It’s an obvious truth that without heavy funding, Boko Haram would have ceased to exist and thousands of Nigerians murdered by the deadly sect would still be alive.