Musa on funding for Boko Haram speculates some countries envious of Nigeria’s existence
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa has speculated external entities and ransom payments for kidnappings as sources of funding for Boko Haram terrorists.
Musa speculated on Channels Television that the Islamist jihadists may be getting funds from countries envious of Nigeria and working towards its collapse.
“This is the one million dollar question, who are the people funding them [Boko Haram],” he said.
“Sometimes they get fundings from kidnappings, armed robbery and all these things that they do. But again, you cannot rule out … like I told you, in the North East, when we arrested some of them, they were having hard currencies to change. How did they get these monies?
“And again, look, people don’t understand that a lot of countries are envious of us as Nigeria. I remember some people said we were not going to survive till 2015, this is 2025 we’re still surviving.
“So, people should understand that not everybody is happy with you that your state is still there and that you’re developing…”
Boko Haram insurgency has led to the death of more than 300,000 children and displacement of 2.3 million from their homes, contributing to regional food crises and famines since it was founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf who died in 2009.
The terrorists were led by Abubakar Shekau from 2009 until his death in 2021, although they splintered into other groups after Yusuf’s death in 2009 as well as in 2015.
Under heavy barrage, new North West terror king Turji willing to surrender
Musa also disclosed that the new terror king in the North West, Bello Turji, has declared that he is ready to surrender.
With his second in command and other lieutenants recently taken out by the military, he explained, Turji has been forced to discard most of those under him, signalling his willingness to lay down his arms.
His words: “They (terrorists) are within the communities; the people know them. So, sometimes when they see them, before you get the information, it’s like two hours – the man has moved. So, when the information gets to you before you move, he has left that area.
“But I can tell you, we have taken out his second in command, we have taken out most of his lieutenants, in fact, he is forced now to release most of the people under him.
“I am telling you that recently he is beginning to say that he doesn’t want anything, he is ready to surrender.
But Musa insisted that despite Turji’s reported willingness to surrender, anybody who has killed innocent citizens must not be spared.
“We want to take everybody out. Anybody who has killed should go, people like him should not be allowed to stay.”
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