APC Diaspora Urges FG To Name, Arrest Sponsors Of Terrorism Now

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Diaspora has urged the Federal Government to fast track naming and the arrest of sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria.

This, it said, would hasten efforts to curb growing insecurity challenges nationwide.

The group, comprising the Diaspora chairmen in no fewer that 13 countries, made this know in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Dr Philip Ideawor, and Secretary, Mr Lawal Ayoola, on Thursday.

The APC chairmen opined that making the sponsors known would drastically reduce activities of terrorists who thrived on funds provided by such individuals to operate.

“Insecurity challenge in Nigeria has become so overwhelming that only a drastic action can curb it.

“No one involved should be spared considering the many lives that have been lost including that of security operatives who are fighting to protect the citizenry.

“We believe that as soon as funding for terrorism activities is stopped, it will naturally fizzle out.

“While we commend the Federal Government and its security apparatus for the job they are doing, we also wish to state that these efforts are being undermined by those who deliberately want to subvert the system to the detriment of the people of Nigeria,” the group said.

The forum, however, said that all secession agitators and their sponsors should be picked without delay as it would send a note of warning to others.

“Some youths nationwide are brazenly taking to crimes because of wrong signals from these agitators.

“Their belief is that if nothing has happened to those men nothing can happen to them, which should not be so.

“Nigeria is not a Banana Republic and examples must be made of those whose treasonable actions have greatly affected lives and property of Nigerians.

“From politicians to the pulpit and traditional rulers and leaders, any instigating utterance by any leader should have consequences as a deterrent,” it said.

The APC chairmen, therefore urged every well meaning Nigerian to rise above religion, tribe and political sentiments to join governments in the fight against crimes, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, robbery and ritual killings among others.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Federal Government had on May 8, announced that it had begun profiling toward prosecution of well-placed Nigerians suspected of being financiers of terrorism in the country.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami had said that the profiling followed recent convictions of some Nigerians on terrorism financing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He said that investigations conducted had established reasonable evidence of the involvement of highly placed individuals, businessmen and institutions across the country in financing the Boko Haram terrorists.

“As you will actually know, sometime back there were certain convictions of Nigerians allegedly involved in terrorism financing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“That gave rise to wider and far-reaching investigations in Nigeria and I’m happy to report that arising from the wider coverage investigation that has been conducted in Nigeria, a number of people, both institutional and otherwise, were found to be culpable,” Malami added.

The Diaspora Chairmen include: Ideawor (Forum Chairman/Chairman UK); Ayoola (Scandinavia); Mr Stephen Tella (Chairman, APC Spain); Prof. Adesegun Labinjo (Chairman, APC USA); Mr Charles Micheletti (Chairman, APC Ghana); and Mr Adefioye Hammed (Chairman, APC Ireland).

Others are Mr Olalekan Ogunwede (Chairman, APC Germany); Mr Olanrewaju Balogun (Chairman, APC France); Mr Elias Ebone (Chairman, APC Canada); Prince Chima Ibezim (Chairman, Italy); Mr Bola Babarinde (Chairman South Africa); Mr David Abraham (Chairman, South Korea); Mr Agbaakin Olatoye Rasaq (APC, Gambia); and Emeritus Chairman, Mr Tony Isama.