400 Suspects Arrested For Funding Boko Haram, Bandits — Report

About 400 businessmen have been, reportedly, arrested for
allegedly funding Boko Haram insurgents and bandits.

For over a decade, there has not been a clear information on how
Boko insurgents are being funded.

According to Daily
Trust^[1], the
businessmen were arrested in an operation being coordinated by the
Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), and in collaboration with the
Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Financial Intelligence
Unit (NFIU) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The operation was said to have been approved by President
Muhammadu Buhari in 2020.

The newspaper reported that an initial list of 957 suspects
comprising bureau de change (BDC) operators, gold miners and
sellers, and other businessmen is being acted upon.

A source, however, told the newspaper that about 400 persons
have been arrested in Kano, Borno, Abuja, Lagos, Sokoto, Adamawa,
Kaduna and Zamfara.

Some of the BDC operators arrested include Baba Usaini, Abubakar
Yellow (Amfani), Yusuf Ali Yusuf (Babangida), Ibrahim Shani, Auwal
Fagge, and Muhammad Lawan Sani, a gold dealer.

Those arrested are reportedly being kept in military and DSS
facilities in Abuja and other places.

“Because this is economic warfare against the insurgents and
other militant groups, the president, when approving the operation
directed that the NFIU take the lead as the country’s financial
intelligence powerhouse,” Daily Trust quoted a source to have
said.

The source added that “with the presidential approval, a task
team was composed of personally selected senior officers who were
deployed under the DIA to carry out the special assignment”.

“The main person coordinating the funding ring for Boko Haram is
in our custody, he and his closest ally in the business,” he
said.

Another source was quoted to have said about 19 BDCs owned by
persons with “direct connection with Boko Haram” were uncovered,
while over N300 billion was found to have been used in funding
terrorism.

Apart from one person in Borno and another in Zaria, Kaduna
state, the source said over N50 billion were traced in funding to
the armed groups.

“A number of those arrested have divulged vital information
including operational details of bandits and Boko Haram insurgents.
But they are being kept to aid further arrests,” the source was
quoted to have said.

Family members of those arrested, the newspaper reported, have
been calling on the government for their release.

About 400 businessmen have been, reportedly, arrested for
allegedly funding Boko Haram insurgents and bandits.

For over a decade, there has not been a clear information on how
Boko insurgents are being funded.

According to Daily
Trust^[1], the
businessmen were arrested in an operation being coordinated by the
Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), and in collaboration with the
Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Financial Intelligence
Unit (NFIU) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The operation was said to have been approved by President
Muhammadu Buhari in 2020.

The newspaper reported that an initial list of 957 suspects
comprising bureau de change (BDC) operators, gold miners and
sellers, and other businessmen is being acted upon.

A source, however, told the newspaper that about 400 persons
have been arrested in Kano, Borno, Abuja, Lagos, Sokoto, Adamawa,
Kaduna and Zamfara.

Some of the BDC operators arrested include Baba Usaini, Abubakar
Yellow (Amfani), Yusuf Ali Yusuf (Babangida), Ibrahim Shani, Auwal
Fagge, and Muhammad Lawan Sani, a gold dealer.

Those arrested are reportedly being kept in military and DSS
facilities in Abuja and other places.

“Because this is economic warfare against the insurgents and
other militant groups, the president, when approving the operation
directed that the NFIU take the lead as the country’s financial
intelligence powerhouse,” Daily Trust quoted a source to have
said.

The source added that “with the presidential approval, a task
team was composed of personally selected senior officers who were
deployed under the DIA to carry out the special assignment”.

“The main person coordinating the funding ring for Boko Haram is
in our custody, he and his closest ally in the business,” he
said.

Another source was quoted to have said about 19 BDCs owned by
persons with “direct connection with Boko Haram” were uncovered,
while over N300 billion was found to have been used in funding
terrorism.

Apart from one person in Borno and another in Zaria, Kaduna
state, the source said over N50 billion were traced in funding to
the armed groups.

“A number of those arrested have divulged vital information
including operational details of bandits and Boko Haram insurgents.
But they are being kept to aid further arrests,” the source was
quoted to have said.

Family members of those arrested, the newspaper reported, have
been calling on the government for their release.