Borno elders name sponsors of Boko Haram

All those who have been fingered in the
controversial theft of funds meant to purchase
arms for soldiers combating insurgency in
northeast Nigeria are the real sponsors of Boko
Haram, Borno Elders Forum have said.

The group said President Muhammadu Buhari
should not waste his time searching for those
funding Boko Haram as the arms deal controversy
had uncovered those to be punished for all the
destruction in the north east.

The Borno elders made this comment in a
statement signed by their chairman, Ambassador
Gaji Galtimari.

They said: “Much has been said about the
sponsors of Boko Haram. With the horrifying
revelations about the ‘Arms Deal’, it is no longer
necessary to continue delaying the search for the
real sponsors of Boko Haram. Those who collected
such huge sums of money from the national
treasury and converted same for their unending
greed and avarice should be regarded as part and
parcel of the sponsors of Boko Haram. Get them
and you will get the rest.

“The people who sponsored the activities of Boko
Haram or those who deliberately turned away from
their official responsibilities on security issues, or
those who looted the funds meant for the
prosecution of the war against Boko Haram, and
those who spoke or continue to speak in their
favour are all one and the same.

“They all individually and collectively aided and
sponsored the Boko Haram insurgency. They
colluded to ensure the death of our brave soldiers,
our innocent people and the near total destruction
of our society. Nigerians should stand by us and
collectively assist to bring those responsible to
book. “

The elders, who had been a strong critical voice at
the way and manner the former government went
about prosecuting the Boko Haram insurgency, said
the revelations coming from the arms deal scandal
had vindicated them.

“Since the outbreak of the Boko Haram uprising in
2009 to date, the Borno Elders Forum had been
voicing out at every critical stage of the crisis,
proffering possible ways of addressing very critical
security and social issues.

“However, until the advent of the current
government under President Muhammadu Buhari,
we were ignored. We are somehow relieved that
not only the present government but the generality
of our Nigerian compatriots are now showing great
understanding and compassion on our sorry state
of existence.”

While the group expressed grateful to President
Buhari and the patriotic armed forces of Nigeria
“for the turn of events in our land,” it stated its
concern and betrayed by some Nigerians who
seem to justify the killings and suffering heaped on
inhabitants of the affected region.

“The massive killing of our people, the wholesome
destruction of our settlements, the massive
humanitarian crisis faced by over two million
internally displaced persons, the creation of
hundreds of thousands of widows and orphans and
so on, seem to be of no consequence to some
Nigerians,” he lamented.