UAE and Boko Haram funders

THE recent conviction of some Nigerians living in the United Arab Emirates, UAE, for funding Boko Haram Islamist terrorism came as cheering news to well-meaning Nigerians. We are not used to achieving similar results in Nigeria since the insurgency started eleven years ago.

The convicts bagged sentences ranging from life imprisonment to ten years behind bars for facilitating the funnelling of funds worth $782,000 (about N361bn at the current BDC exchange rate) between 2015 and 2016 to terror groups in Nigeria in contravention of UAE’s Federal Law.

Reports indicated that in addition to the Dubai-based financiers, there are other named undercover operatives based in Nigeria canvassing funds for terrorists.