Soldiers Working With Boko Haram Expose Civilian Collaborators

Some soldiers arrested in the crack down on Boko Haram funders
have disclosed the identities of their civilian collaborators,
according to sources.

According to Daily
Trust^[1], the
arrests of the officers came after an in-depth investigation into
connections between Boko Haram members and military officers, that
they helped to infiltrate into the army and sabotage efforts to end
insurgency in Nigeria.

Recall that the Federal Government launched an operation against
suspected financiers and collaborators of Boko Haram.

The ongoing inter-agency operation is being led by a top
intelligence officer, with an army general leading a task team
comprising military personnel and staff from intelligence
services.

Multiple sources informed Daily Trust that the closely guarded
operation is being coordinated by Defence Intelligence Agency
(DIA), in collaboration with the Department of State Services
(DSS), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

As part of the operation, billions of naira traced to businesses
belonging to persons of interest have been blocked in banks in
series of “post no debit” letters sent out to banks by the CBN and
NFIU.

Twenty soldiers who were arrested in the operation are currently
being detained in Borno State.

“About 20 of them were arrested in Borno and detained. In the
course of interrogation they revealed a lot including the identity
of some of their civilian collaborators who were also arrested,” a
source told Daily Trust.

The ongoing operation, Daily Trust gathered, is the first phase
of activities lined up by the task team to crack the riddle of how
Boko Haram, kidnappers and other criminals fund their operations
and launder the proceeds.

When contacted, spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Major
General Mohammed Yerima, said he was not aware of the arrest of
army officers in connection with allegation of collaboration with
Boko Haram elements.

He also referred the question on the military’s involvement in
the operation to the DSS, saying issues to do with arrests on
charges of terrorism financing is under the purview of the DSS.

Spokesperson of the DSS, Peter Afunaya, when contacted on
Friday, promised to make findings on the issue and revert to our
reporter. He, however, did not get back as of the time of filing
this report. He did not respond to a text message sent to him to
follow up and ignored repeated phone calls thereafter.

Some soldiers arrested in the crack down on Boko Haram funders
have disclosed the identities of their civilian collaborators,
according to sources.

According to Daily
Trust^[1], the
arrests of the officers came after an in-depth investigation into
connections between Boko Haram members and military officers, that
they helped to infiltrate into the army and sabotage efforts to end
insurgency in Nigeria.

Recall that the Federal Government launched an operation against
suspected financiers and collaborators of Boko Haram.

The ongoing inter-agency operation is being led by a top
intelligence officer, with an army general leading a task team
comprising military personnel and staff from intelligence
services.

Multiple sources informed Daily Trust that the closely guarded
operation is being coordinated by Defence Intelligence Agency
(DIA), in collaboration with the Department of State Services
(DSS), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

As part of the operation, billions of naira traced to businesses
belonging to persons of interest have been blocked in banks in
series of “post no debit” letters sent out to banks by the CBN and
NFIU.

Twenty soldiers who were arrested in the operation are currently
being detained in Borno State.

“About 20 of them were arrested in Borno and detained. In the
course of interrogation they revealed a lot including the identity
of some of their civilian collaborators who were also arrested,” a
source told Daily Trust.

The ongoing operation, Daily Trust gathered, is the first phase
of activities lined up by the task team to crack the riddle of how
Boko Haram, kidnappers and other criminals fund their operations
and launder the proceeds.

When contacted, spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Major
General Mohammed Yerima, said he was not aware of the arrest of
army officers in connection with allegation of collaboration with
Boko Haram elements.

He also referred the question on the military’s involvement in
the operation to the DSS, saying issues to do with arrests on
charges of terrorism financing is under the purview of the DSS.

Spokesperson of the DSS, Peter Afunaya, when contacted on
Friday, promised to make findings on the issue and revert to our
reporter. He, however, did not get back as of the time of filing
this report. He did not respond to a text message sent to him to
follow up and ignored repeated phone calls thereafter.