The Chief of Defence Standards and Evaluations at the Defence Headquarters, Major General Adekunle Ariyibi, has confirmed that Boko Haram and other terrorist groups like ISWAP are benefiting from foreign funding.
Ariyibi shared this during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. He explained that the support these terrorist groups receive from outside Nigeria has contributed to the prolonged battle against them.
“There’s no doubt about it that this sort of operation cannot be sustainable for the past 15 years without some sort of external collaboration and assistance,” Ariyibi said.
He pointed out that since Boko Haram and ISWAP pledged allegiance to ISIS, they have gained access to international funding. This, he explained, is evident in the high-quality weapons the groups use and their growing military capabilities, such as drones capable of delivering weapons.
“It’s obvious in the caliber of weapons you see them display. It’s obvious in the sort of sustainability plans that they have,” Ariyibi added.
A few days ago, U.S. Congressman Scott Perry claimed that the United States Agency for International Development had funded terrorist groups like Boko Haram. This statement has sparked debate, and General Ariyibi agrees that foreign backing is essential to sustaining terrorist operations.
“There’s no doubt about it that this is the lifeline which is sustaining these operations beyond the local collections that they make on taxing and all of that,” he argued.
In response to Perry’s statement, Senator Ali Ndume called on the Nigerian government to investigate the allegations.
“You can’t say it’s just an allegation; it’s more than that,” Ndume said. He stressed the need for an investigation into such a serious claim, urging the Nigerian government and National Assembly to look into the matter thoroughly.
In 2024, the Nigerian government named some individuals and Bureau de Change (BDCs) as funders of terrorism. Authorities in the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates have also taken action by freezing the assets of certain individuals linked to terrorist financing.
