A retired Navy Commodore, Kunle Olawunmi, in a near-tell-all interview has alleged that some political office holders including serving Nigerian Governors and Senators are sponsporing terrorist organisations and bandits that are causing havoc in the country.
Olawunmi, who served in the Nigerian naval force for 35 years claimed the Department of State Services (DSS) knows the name of politicians sponsporing terrorism, adding that the government is allegedly shielding them for reasons best known to it.
While reacting to recent attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna, the retired Navy Commodore, further claimed that the perpetrators of the attack invaded the military varsity with the help of insiders.
According to the intelligence expert, the armed men had some “insiders’ collaboration”, adding that no evil can happen to a nation without the insider within that country collaborating with external assailants.
Olawunmi stated this on Wednesday when he featured on a Channels Television programme, ‘Sunrise Daily’.
Speaking further, the retired Navy Commodore, allegedly revealed how some Boko Haram suspects, who were arrested by the military had in the past fingered the names of some serving governors and senators as their financiers.
Recall in April, the Nigerian government through its secret police had arrested about 400 individuals in connection with Bureau De Change (BDCs) operations over allegations of terrorism financing. The presidency had also threatened to publish names of those sponsoring the activities of Boko Haram, however, as of now, the list is yet to be made public.
Commodore Olawunmi, who stated that he was part of a team that interrogated the arrested Boko Haram terrorists, also added that the DSS and Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA) know the names of the politicians but have refused to arrest them.
In his words: “The DSS knows them (sponsors), the NIA knows them, the DIA (Defence Intelligence Agency) knows them because it is the DIA that conducted the operations that arrested the (400) suspects.”
“You remember this Boko Haram issue started in 2012 and I was in the military intelligence at that time. We arrested those people. My organisation actually conducted interrogation and they (suspects) mentioned names.
“I can’t come on air and start mentioning names of people that are presently in government that I know that the boys that we arrested mentioned. Some of them are governors now, some of them are in the Senate, and some of them are in Aso Rock.
“Why should a government decide to cause this kind of embarrassment and insecurity that happened yesterday (Tuesday’s attack on NDA)? Terrorist financiers want to turn Nigeria to a Taliban type of country.”
Speaking further on the attack on the NDA, Olawunmi stated that religion and culture have been the tool used by terrorists to unleash terror in the country.
The intelligence expert in his explanation stated that NDA alongside other military environments in the country, carelessly open their doors to everyone on Friday for Jumat prayer, thereby giving terrorists the opportunity to profile the military institution and take action.
Olawunmi, who lamented the situation stated that public access to all military institutions should be strict rather than allowing people to penetrate and observe prayers under the guise of religion or culture.
“It is an aberration; you don’t attack the Nigerian Defence Academy and get away with it.
“On Fridays, you are going to see the same thing happening across all military formations in the country…If you go to Defence Headquarters, I served at the Defence Headquarters as the Deputy Director, Defence Administration between 2015 and 2017, throughout my two years at the Defence Headquarters, I received visitors twice because of the strict security architecture there.
“But every Friday, the gate of the Defence Headquarters is thrown wide open for everybody to come in and observe Jumat. That is the time the terrorists have to profile our security environment. It has always been the case. I have served the military intelligence for the past 35 years. Our problem is religion and socio-cultural,” he added.
Reacting to the attack on the NDA, Buhari in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina had said: “The attack launched on the facility of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) on Tuesday, rather than throw a dampener into the morale of our Armed Forces as it is intended to, will buoy their determination to make a decisive end of criminality in the country.”
