SaharaReporters in April 2021 reported that dozens of persons were arrested by security agencies during a nationwide crackdown on the suspected financiers of terrorism.
The Alliance on Surviving Covid-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) chaired by human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has accused Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) of shielding 800 suspected terrorists and 400 people arrested for funding Boko Haram terrorists and bandits from prosecution.
SaharaReporters in April 2021 reported that dozens of persons were arrested by security agencies during a nationwide crackdown on the suspected financiers of terrorism.
They were reportedly 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.
Some of those arrested include Baba Usaini, Abubakar Yellow (Amfani), Yusuf Ali Yusuf (Babangida), Ibrahim Shani, Auwal Fagge, and Muhammad Lawan Sani, a gold dealer.
They were reportedly being kept in military and DSS facilities in Abuja and other places.
Confirming the report a few days after, Malami said the Nigerian government embarked on “a wider and far-reaching investigation” into terrorism financing after the conviction of Boko Haram financiers in the United Arab Emirates.
ASCAB in a statement on Wednesday raised concerns about their prosecution.
The group also knocked Malami for withdrawing the terrorism charges against soldiers who killed policemen on August 6, 2019, during the arrest of Hamisu Bala, a suspected kidnap kingpin better known as Wadume, in Taraba state.
The statement read, “Sometime in August 2019, a gang of 10 soldiers led by an Army Captain ambushed and killed the three police officers who had arrested an alleged kidnap suspect, Bala Hamisu (a.k.a. Wadume) in Jalingo, Taraba State.
“The cold murder of the police officers was designed to cover up the involvement of the soldiers in the several killings and illegal collection of hundreds of millions of naira as ransom by the kidnappers who had terrorised the people of Taraba State for about three years.
“The suspected killer soldiers were charged with terrorism in the Federal High Court by the Nigeria Police Force. But in complete abuse of his powers under section 174 of the Constitution, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN filed a nolle prosequi and withdrew the charges pending against the soldiers at the Federal High Court.
“They have since been shielded from prosecution without any legal or moral justification. Our demand for the arrest and prosecution of the suspects has been ignored by the Federal Government.
“In another development, the Attorney-General of the Federation announced, between April and May 2021, that the investigation of the cases of sponsors of terrorism and 800 terror suspects by security forces had been concluded. The Minister assured the nation that charges of terrorism would be filed at the Federal High Court against the 1,200 suspects once the industrial action of the striking staff of the Judiciary was called off.
“Even though the industrial action was called off in June last year, the Attorney-General of the Federation has not adduced any reason why the 400 sponsors of terrorism and 800 terror suspects have not been arraigned at the Federal High Court. Thus, the suspects have been shielded from prosecution and exculpated by the Chief Law Officer of the Federation in spite of the overwhelming evidence already assembled against them by the team of investigators.”