Will Nigeria name terror sponsors?

Outside the sphere of his influence, Tukur Mamu is not a popular personality in the country. Recently, he came into limelight when he elected himself to become the lead negotiator for the Abuja-Kaduna train attack victims.

Mamu is the publisher of Kaduna based tabloid, Desert Herald and also a media consultant to controversial cleric, Sheik Ahmed Gumi, a man with ties with notorious bandits operating in the North. Mamu also have a penchant for finding himself in trouble. His publication has been raided several times by security operatives over incendiary reports in the past. This makes him a man who is all familiar with the workings of security agencies.

He has suddenly gone from hero to villain for involving himself with terrorists. The question on the lips of many is Mamu culpable or is he a victim of circumstance. He has gone from negotiator to becoming a person of interest by operatives both in Cairo, Egypt and Nigeria.

The Department of State Services (DSS) flagged him while he was on pilgrimage and forcefully repatriated to be investigated.  Confirming his arrest in a statement the DSS through it’s spokesperson Peter Afunanya said Mamu was now a Person of interest in an ongoing joint investigation by the Military, law enforcement agencies and the Intelligence community in Nigeria.

According to the DSS Mamu have some very critical questions to answer. They did not go into the nature of crime he was arrested for but  according to a report monitored by The Africascholar, in the daily trust, reliable sources with information on the case have confirmed that Mamu has been linked with terrorists groups in Egypt. “Reason why the authorities in that country were involved”. He is also alleged to have collected over N2bn in ransom on behalf of terrorists.

Money that is now  a matter of contention in the terrorist camp. The sources also alleged that he was scheduled to meet with some persons said to be the leaders of those who carried out the Abuja-Kaduna train attack in Cairo, Egypt probably to discuss the fate of the remaining captives.

The question one would like to ask is how on earth did a civilian without any experience or training in intelligence negotiation become a lead negotiator in an area that is meant to be handled by a professional? It is also rather curious why did the security agencies allow him to negotiate.  A Social Critic, Mahdi Shehu while trying to shed light on the matter attributes the development to the loss of confidence in government security agencies to deliver.

Shehu who featured on AIT focus Nigeria explained that desperation is fast compelling the families of victims to go for alternatives, rather than allowing their loved ones to die in the hands of terrorists.

Due to the failure of government numerous victims are still languishing in the captivity of various terrorists groups. At least about 98 Chibok school girls are still in the possession of Boko Haram for 8 years now and security agencies have been helpless. One of the Dapchi school girls Leah Saribu  is now over 5 years in captivity with no effort made to rescue her from her abductors.

That is the reason why many believe that the government is already overwhelmed by the situation at hand and has no new ideas to bring to the table. This is where the likes of Mamu come into play.  Is Mamu an enabler? Was he in cohort with bandits to defraud people? Is he a terrorist finance? Is this government ready to name terrorist sponsors by making a statement with Manu?W

In the past, most cases like his unfortunately die a natural death. Over the years several Boko Haram commanders and those with links to them were arrested but nothing reasonable has come out of it.

Not even the constant assurance by the President to clamp down on terrorist and their sponsors has rekindled the hope that this government would bring down those behind this groups. The delay to apprehend the financiers and sponsors of these groups continue to make this government culpable. In December 2021, the National Security Adviser, Babangida Mongonu identified three groups he said were encouraging radicalism and terrorist activities in the country as the Jama’at Nasr al-Islam Wal Muslimin, the Islamic and Muslim Support Group and Islamic State in Greater Sahara but failed to name those behind.

One wonders who exactly is the government shielding. In February, the Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed also came very close to reveling but failed to name any culprits. He announce in a press conference that government had uncovered 96 financiers of terror groups with 424 of their associates and supporters. He said the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) had compiled a list and was going to unmask 123 companies and 33 Bureau de Change linked with terrorists but just like before, no name was mentioned and no one was arrested.

The failure to name the sponsors of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups as promised by the government has it’s own consequences. For example, the government is losing its international credibility, a  United States-based non-profit group, Global Advocates for Terrorism Eradication has written a petition to the office of the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinke, demanding that the government of the US should designate the Nigerian Government and some of its officials sponsors of terrorism.

The group is alleging that there are some ministers; governors, an ambassador, a former Inspector General of Police, a head of a security agency and some political office holders that are sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria.

While Nigeria appears to be stalling elsewhere it’s citizens are being jailed.  The Government of the United Arab Emirates in April, 2019 sentenced six Nigerians for Boko Haram funding activities.  Surajo Abubakar Muhammad and Saliuh Yusuf Adamu got life imprisonment and Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, AbdurRahman Ado Musa, Bashir Ali Yusuf and Muhammad Ibrahim Isa, were sentenced to 10 years in prison each.

They were fund guilty of setting up a Boko Haram cell in the UAE to raise funds and material assistance for the insurgents in Nigeria. The position of the Advocates for Terrorism Eradication is aligned with the claim of a former Nigerian Navy Commodore Kunle Olawunmi who confirmed in an interview that the government knew the sponsors of Boko Haram.

Olawunmi in the interview confirmed that he personally investigated and found a high-ranking member of Buhari’s government culpable of involvement with Boko Haram in 2007/2008.  Olawunmi reiterated that the government was not ready to fight insurgency for failing to prosecute the 400 suspected persons arrested for sponsorship of Boko Haram. Will Nigeria name the sponsors of the terrorist cells in the country. Only time shall tell.