The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to fully disclose the identities and offenses committed by terrorist financiers in the country.
The group criticized the government’s decision not to name and shame these individuals as it may jeopardize investigations.
HURIWA believes that this failure to reveal their identities amounts to a cover-up on behalf of the current administration.
In a statement by its national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA pointed out that investigation into these financiers has been ongoing for far too long, leading them to suspect that there is something suspicious going on under the surface.
The group also questioned why advanced democracies automatically publish information regarding terrorism financing while Nigeria seems hesitant or unwilling to do so.
The right group expressed concern over President Tinubu’s administration adopting similar tactics employed by its predecessor which wasted three years without publishing names of terrorist financiers despite convictions in other countries like Dubai where Nigerian sponsors were intercepted at one point.
‘’ In 2022 six Nigerians were publicly sanctioned by United States authorities for raising funds in UAE for Boko Haram insurgents.’’
HURIWA maintained that Freedom of Information Act obliges governments worldwide including Nigeria to provide relevant details about identities of terrorists’ masterminds and outlaws who are known perpetrators or supporters based on global best practices.
They called upon National Security Adviser Malam Nuhu Ribadu alongside service chiefs such as Inspector General of Police And Director-General Department Of State Services (DSS) To Upgrade Their Joint Operations Against Terrorists because Niger Republic withdrew from West African Counter Terrorism Joint Task Force due sanctions imposed ECOWAS following military coup.
HURIWA emphasized how important it is for security heads within Nigeria to work together, and continuously defend territorial integrity against these incessant threats towards national security posed by terrorists attacks across different regions within our nation’s borders.
