Professor Okey Ikechukwu, a scholar of Strategic Management and Human Capital Development, has accused the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari of declining to release a list of Nigerians identified by the United Arab Emirates as sponsors of terrorism.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Friday, reacting to the recent engagement between officials of the Nigerian government and U.S. Congressman Riley Moore over allegations of terror and genocide, Ikechukwu claimed that the UAE had offered the names to the Nigerian government several years ago but the information was never made public.
“Some years ago, under Buhari, the UAE offered to share a list of Nigerians funding terrorism in the country. But the federal government chose not to make that list public,” he said.
In this regard, according to Ikechukwu, a senior official in the Buhari administration is said to have defended this position by arguing that those implicated deserved privacy and protection of their individual rights.
He said, though unannounced officially, the named sponsors of terrorism and banditry were well-known among security insiders, which also explains why some Nigerians feel that a number of those allegedly sponsoring terrorism and banditry often get away with their actions.
He added that poverty is the key driver in this insecurity issue in northern Kenya, stating that desperation and unemployment make young people vulnerable to recruitment by criminal groups.
“If someone has nothing to do and you ask him to join in a raid, he will follow you. Poverty creates fertile ground for this,” he explained.
He pondered why such trends are not common in other cities like Lagos or Nnewi and surmised that the failures of leadership have exacerbated the situation.
“Civilian leaders are not doing enough. How many of them even live in their local government areas?”
Ikechukwu also suggested that many of the criminals expanding attacks into southern communities may not be indigenous to those regions, insinuating a clear origin point for the growing menace.
