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Former Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Joe Kechi, has called on intelligence agencies and security forces to disclose the true sponsors of Boko Haram, urging the Nigerian Senate to use its ongoing investigation to uncover long-standing questions about terrorism financing in the country.
“The intelligence agencies, the military, the police—they owe it a duty to tell the Nigerian people the truth about Boko Haram. We have gone too far, and we are all focusing on what the senator said in the United States. Let’s focus on what we need to know from our own people,” he urged.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Thursday, Kechi reacted to US Senator Perry’s claims that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) had allegedly funded terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram. He commended the Nigerian National Assembly’s decision to probe the matter but warned against blindly accepting external allegations.
“My only hope is that the intelligence chiefs will be honest with the Nigerian people and tell us exactly what they know and what they do not know. It will be a tragedy if they do not even know much and were hearing it from the senator for the first time,” Kechi said.
He criticised the tendency to focus on foreign narratives while neglecting internal contradictions, arguing that Senator Perry’s statement was more about supporting US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend foreign aid than revealing new intelligence.
“The senator’s statement was more for domestic consumption in support of what Donald Trump wants to do. He mentioned only Democratic presidents, but people should remember that it was a Republican president, George Bush, who went to Afghanistan, destabilised Iran, and still formulated policies to transform Iran,” Kechi stated.
According to him, the ongoing Senate investigation presents an opportunity to evaluate the transparency of Nigeria’s security agencies.
“I hope the Senate will actually press the service chiefs and tell the Nigerian people the truth—what did they know, and when did they know it?” he asked.
Addressing the broader issue of Boko Haram’s funding, Kechi questioned why Nigerian authorities had yet to uncover the group’s sponsors despite over a decade of insurgency.
“More than 50,000 people have died, over 1 million have been displaced, and people continue to die daily, yet we have no idea who the sponsors are
or why this crisis has lasted so long,” he said.
He further urged lawmakers to summon past security chiefs to account for their roles in counter terrorism efforts.
Kechi also raised concerns about past reports on alleged Boko Haram financiers in Dubai and other locations, questioning why the intelligence community had failed to expose the group’s funding sources despite Nigeria allocating over a billion dollars annually to defence.
He called on the Nigerian Senate to demand access to all security reports related to Boko Haram financing.
“For goodness’ sake, demand to see all the reports written. It is your entitlement,” he told lawmakers.
Kechi also criticised the Chief of Defence Staff for dwelling on visa issues, referring to reports that he had expressed frustration over difficulties in securing a Canadian visa.
“The Chief of Staff should move on and leave this whole issue of a visa alone. He has no business at this point in time to be crying for one week over of his inability to go to Canada. He has a responsibility to stay on the ground and conduct activities with his men,” he said.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
The post Joe Keshi: Nigerians Deserve the Truth About Boko Haram Sponsors From Local Intelligence, Not Just US Reports appeared first on Arise News.
