Alleged terrorism sponsors’ list: ‘Buhari Govt not serious about ending insecurity’ – HURIWA
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari of deliberately refusing to release the names of Nigerians said to be sponsoring terrorism in the country.
The rights group said despite severally alleging sponsorship of insurgency by some Nigerians, the Federal Government has till date refused to mention the names of the people behind the act.
According to HURIWA, the ‘secrecy surrounding the unveiling of the identities of the terrorism sponsors is a pointer to the fact that some persons in government are into something that they don’t want Nigerians to know.’
National Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubuko, in an interview with a publication, weekend, accused the Buhari government of deliberately withholding the names of these alleged sponsors.
HURIWA further alleged that the Federal Government was not serious about ending the insecurity across the country, insisting that the government had the data of Nigerians and should be able to fish out the alleged financers.
Onwubuko said: “The secrecy surrounding the unveiling of the identities of the terrorism sponsors is a pointer to the fact that some persons in government are into something that they don’t want Nigerians to know. “Nigerians have the right to know those who have made life very unfortunate for them for more than a decade.
“The government has skeletons in its cupboard and that is why they keep violating the rights of Nigerians to know the sponsors of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups. This is why they are after radio stations and other media platforms, trying to silence the voice of Nigerians.
“The Attorney-General of the Federation once told Nigerians that they have compiled over 400 names of some terrorists and have charged them to court, where is that case and what is the status of that matter?”
It would be recalled that last Thursday, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed ,disclosed the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) had uncovered 123 companies and 33 bureau de change operators linked with terrorism in the country, in addition to 26 suspected kidnappers and seven co-conspirators.
The minister added that 45 people suspected of funding terrorism had been arrested and would soon be prosecuted.
This, the group, pointed to, was evidence that the Federal Government was reluctant about releasing the names of terrorism sponsors.